Project Title

Collaborative Research: Gas Hydrate Contribution to the Ross Sea Carbon Budget; Shallow Sediment to Water Column; Present and Future

Summary

Event Number:
O-269-N
NSF / OPP Award 2044453

Program Director:
Dr. David Porter

ASC POC/Implementer:
Kenneth Vicknair / Jamee Johnson

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. Richard B Coffin
richard.coffin@tamucc.edu
Texas A & M University

Location

Supporting Stations: RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer
Research Locations: Ross Sea

Description

Understanding Earth warming requires significant insight on geochemical and geobiological cycles in both polar regions. The Ross Sea has been suggested to have extensive ocean – sediment transitory methane and gas hydrate interfaces that may be subject to future rapid warming. This project seeks to determine the significance of a vast transitory gas hydrate carbon reservoir and provide a thorough assessment of Earth warming with a Southern Hemisphere focus. Recent double-bottom simulating reflections (BSRs) observed through seismic profiles indicates a thermogenic carbon source and extensive carbon storage in deep sediment hydrates. This warming and ice melting coupled with high thermogenic gas hydrate loadings suggest the Ross Sea is essential to determine contributions of current and potential future methane, petroleum, and glacial carbon to shallow sediment and water column carbon cycles. This group will examine methane since it is abundant in ocean sediments and can be a significant source of carbon dioxide. Comparison of carbon source(s) and cycling will include phytoplankton, glacier ice, shallow sediment organoclastic carbon, deep sediment oil, and methane trapped in gas hydrates. Data collection will include seismic profiling, light element isotope and broad geochemical and geo-microbiology parameters. Data will provide a new understanding of climate change and the effect on the ocean carbon budget.

Field Season Overview

Over a period of two seasons, a multidisciplinary science team will conduct research in the Ross Sea with the primary goal of characterizing potential and current gas hydrate contributions from the ocean floor, relative to the glacial ice and phytoplankton contributions to sediment and water column carbon cycling. The science team will use the RV/IB Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) in 2024 and 2025 to conduct seismic operations, jumbo piston coring, multi-coring, multibeam surveys, sea ice sampling, and water column sampling. In February 2024 up to 14 science participants will embark on the NBP24-02 expedition from Lyttelton, New Zealand to McMurdo Station. During this expedition, the Coffin team, with Bangs leading seismic planning and operation, will conduct at least 10 days of seismic profiling and complete up to two Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) deployments of 10 instruments. The team will disembark the vessel and fly out of McMurdo Station.

Deploying Team Members