Charting the Future of Methane Hydrate Research in the United States (2004) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
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Uncertainties are also associated with the effect of gas hydrate on the environment. Gas hydrate may play a role in global climate change because methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and has been postulated to have caused past episodes of global warming.
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. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants were invited to address topics on the role and activities of the federal government in the realm of methane hydrate research, the role of the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee in the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program, the experience to date with industry-managed, targeted research projects, and other topics of interest and relevance (Appendix F)
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conduct basic and applied research to identify, explore, assess, and develop methane hydrate as a source of energy; (B) assist in developing technologies required for efficient and environmentally sound development of methane hydrate resources; (C)
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Progress towards Meeting the Goals of the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 The DOE was authorized to conduct studies in several areas as mandated by the act. The Methane Hydrate R&D Program places projects in categories based on the program goals described above (Box ES.1)
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, discussed in Chapter 3, will address the correlation of geophysical measurements with the occurrence of hydrate. Recommendation The DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program should strengthen its contribution to education and training through funding of postdoctoral fellowships and should increase efforts in basic research to address the relationship between gas hydrate and climate change.
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Together with the United States, the international community can make substantial progress toward developing the potential of gas hydrate as an energy resource. However, the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program is currently not funded at a level sufficient to allow a major role in large-scale international research efforts, such as proposed for continuing studies at Mallik.
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. Targeted research projects account for over 60 percent of planned DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program funding through 2005.
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and collaboration, which has provided basic and essential information on the chemistry and occurrence of gas hydrate. Recommendation The USGS should continue to play a major role in gas hydrate research as a collaborator in the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program.
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Current Program Breadth and Future Emphasis, Research, and Resource Development The overarching goal of the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program is to conduct applied research to identify, assess, and develop methane
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· Future field experiments, drilling, and production testing with consideration of testing offshore hydrate that might be of sufficiently large quantity for potential commercial extrac tion · Hydrate deposit identification and characterization · Reservoir modeling · Technology recovery methods and production · Understanding the natural system and climate change potential · Geological hazards · Transportation and storage Collaboration between the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program and other agencies, to augment infrastructure, will facilitate the achievement of program goals. For example, collaboration with NSF, especially with the OOI and the Ocean Research Interactive Observatory Network (ORION)
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The DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program should sponsor a workshop focused on specific aspects of required research, for example, finding sweet spots or monitoring the evolution of gas hydrate deposits over time in the context of the OOI. Scientific Oversight of the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program A key requirement for meeting the goals and priorities of any science-based program is scientific oversight (Chapter 5)
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Conclusion Although the total amount of methane trapped in gas hydrate is not well known, it is generally believed that gas hydrate has the potential to become a fossil fuel resource and a possible factor in climate change and submarine slope stability. The possible magnitude of this resource has
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Therefore, the DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program's continued support of research is a key component of evaluating the nation's ability to produce energy from gas hydrate in the future. Findings The DOE Methane Hydrate R&D Program provides a significant incentive and valued role in developing this nation's ability to produce energy from gas hydrate and to understand the potential geological constraints on drilling hydrate.
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