Natural gas hydrates are an ice-like substance composed of water and primarily methane gas. The stability of these gas hydrates requires low-temperature and high-pressure conditions. Therefore, gas hydrates occur below large ice sheets, as well as within or below terrestrial and subsea permafrost. Despite their potentially large carbon stores, permafrost-associated gas hydrates (PAGH) have often been overlooked in global carbon budgets and policy discussions. While the latest IPCC report indicates that methane hydrates are not currently a significant source of emissions, climate change has the potential to destabilize these deposits and increase their contribution in the future. There is a need to quantify the amount of methane stored in PAGH systems and to assess what portion of the global PAGH is at risk of dissociation.
The Permafrost-Associated Gas Hydrates Action Group (2025-2026) aims to (1) create a digital geospatial directory of existing field data on PAGH in the Arctic and Antarctic (sediment temperature and pressure, porewater salinity, acoustic velocity, electrical resistivity, gas chemistry, gas sources, etc.), (2) define regional extents of the gas hydrate stability zone with a special focus for the Beaufort Sea and Svalbard regions, and (3) identify targets for a proposed land-to-sea drilling campaign.
Contact: Michael Angelopoulos (michael.angelopoulos@tum.de), and Judith Schicks (judith.schicks@gfz.de)