Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline solids composed of water and gas, which widespread in permafrost regions and beneath the sea in sediments of outer continental margins. It is a new kind of potential and clean energy resource, and the dissociation of hydrate also play a great role in climate change due to their strong greenhouse effect. In this research, monthly methane concentration of Muli area from 2003 to 2008 is firstly analyzed, where natural gas hydrate sample was detected in 2008. It is found that monthly methane concentration of this area in December is obviously higher than that of surrounding area. And before 2006, the monthly methane concentration of August in this area is higher than that of other months, which is the same with the distribution of the whole country, however, the rule changes after that. The monthly methane concentration of winter in Muli area becomes the same high with that of summer. Compared with the timely earthquake data of this area, it is known that monthly methane concentration of March, 2007 abnormal increased for a little earthquake of magnitude 4.2 happened February 23rd, 2007. Based on the analysis results of Muli area, monthly methane concentration in permafrost area of China from 2003 to 2008 is analyzed to monitor the possible methane seepages of potential gas hydrate area.

Date Published: 21 November 2012
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8524, Land Surface Remote Sensing, 85242I (21 November 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.977329

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8524:
Land Surface Remote Sensing
Dara Entekhabi; Yoshiaki Honda; Haruo Sawada; Jiancheng Shi; Taikan Oki, Editor(s)