Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

On the international scene, Dr. Desa said that the United States of
America has an interest in developing methane hydrate deposits; that
Japan is very active in this field and is presently drilling a deposit, and that
the European Union has funded work on methane sensors and hydrate
coring apparatuses. He said that the Russian Federation is engaged in a
bilateral collaboration with India in hydrates development.
Dr. Desa concluded his presentation by pointing out that gas
hydrate research is not just for geophysicists and geologists but also for
the entire community of ocean, earth and atmospheric scientists. He said
that a need exists to sharpen techniques for detection and assessment. He
felt that after this, the oil industry could become actively engaged in
methane hydrate development. He noted the need to negotiate the major
environmental and geological hazards that have been identified, stating
the importance of understanding the link between the hydrates, and the
earth’s climate. He recommended that a lot of strong climate research
programmes should be funded so that some of the related questions could
be answered. Finally, he said that a mechanism is needed to oversee
preventive measures and possible hazards, to encourage proactive
research and to assist in establishing predictive models business and a
database through which information could be shared and disseminated.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSIONS:
The discussions following Dr. Desa’s presentation focussed on the
potential environmental impacts arising from hydrates development,
examples of BSRs that do not reveal the presence of hydrates, the
glaciation cycle and the release of methane, and the intent of Dr. Desa’s
proposal in regard to an international mechanism to regulate research and
exploration for methane hydrates.
With regard to the potential environmental impact of methane
hydrate development, Dr. Desa was asked whether earthquakes could
affect such development, in particular in the case of Japan that was
described by a participant as being earthquake sensitive. Dr. Desa
responded that if the hydrate deposits were to be found in an earthquake
zone and an earthquake occurred, it would destabilize the deposits. He
described the bigger problem as the possible release of methane into the
atmosphere resulting from an earthquake. He also noted that he was not
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 569