Southern Hydrate Ridge V15

Southern Hydrate Ridge PN1B Pano Image

Southern Hydrate Ridge Study Site (Primary Node: PN1B)

Hydrate Ridge Details image

Hydrate Ridge Details image

COVE Southern Hydrate 2

Southern Hydrate Ridge Bathymetry

Location: 44.6ºN  125.1ºW     Water Depth: 780-771 meters         

The Southern Hydrate Ridge study site (~10 km north of Primary Node PN1B) hosts abundant deposits of frozen methane (methane hydrates) that are buried beneath the seafloor. The deposits vent methane-rich fluids and bubbles that escape through seeps on the ocean bottom. Dense and fascinating communities of microbes and animals are fueled by these escaping gases. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and, therefore, quantifying the flux of methane from the seafloor into the hydrosphere is critical to understanding carbon-cycle dynamics and the impacts of global warming on methane release.