Wednesday, March 06, 2013
3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room MSB 7124

Abstract

“Being a very potent greenhouse gas, methane recently received much attention through its potential impact on Global Warming if released from supposedly vast gas hydrate reservoirs that are locked up in continental shelves. Under present conditions, ocean systems are very effective in removing the majority of methane that is produced, stored or released from sediments before entering the atmosphere. But when environmental conditions change, e.g., through temperature rise, and gas hydrate reservoirs are destabilized, the oceanic methane filter may fail in part or lead to feedback reactions such as ocean acidification or local de-oxygenation. This seminar will provide an introduction to biogeochemical reaction occurring at natural marine methane seeps and will examine potential threats (temperature rise, earth quakes, increase in fluid flow) that could impact the sensitive balance between methane consumption and methane releases at the seafloor and their relevance for global processes. Furthermore, this seminar will provide an insight on how close methane seep communities are possibly connected with deep-sea ecosystems and will discuss the danger of human activities such as fisheries or drilling to these sensitive environments.”
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SEMINAR at 3:30 PM
SEMINAR TEA:  4:30-5:00PM (MSB 7124B)
 

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