Entry_ID: (required)
Entry_Title: Methane in coastal sea water, sea ice, and bottom sediments, Beaufort Sea, Alaska
Group: Data_Set_Citation
  Originator(s): Lorenson, Thomas D.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.
  Title: Methane in coastal sea water, sea ice, and bottom sediments, Beaufort Sea, Alaska
  Publication: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report
  Publication_Date: 1995
  Publication_Place: Menlo Park, CA
  Publisher: U.S. Geological Survey
  Edition: 1
  Data_Presentation_Form: map
  URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1995/of95-070/
End_Group
Keyword: methane
Keyword: gas hydrate
Keyword: petroleum
Keyword: sea ice
Keyword: sea water
Group: Temporal_Coverage
  Start_date: 19920501
  Stop_date: 19940826
End_Group
Data_Set_Progress: Complete
Group: Spatial_Coverage
  Southernmost_Latitude: 70.05267
  Northernmost_Latitude: 72.64800
  Westernmost_Longitude: -152.20717
  Easternmost_Longitude: -144.99833
End_Group
Location: Beaufort Sea
Location: Alaska
Location: AK
Group: Data_Resolution
  Latitude_Resolution: 0.00016667
  Longitude_Resolution: 0.00016667
  Depth_Resolution: 1
End_Group
  Access_Constraints: none
  Use_Constraints: none
Originating_Center: (required)
Group: Data_Center
  Data_Center_Name: (required)
  Dataset_ID: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 95-70
Group: Data_Center_Contact
  Last_name: Schweitzer
  First_name: Peter
  Middle_name: N.
  Email: pschweitzer@usgs.gov
  Phone: (703) 648-6533
  Group: Address
    Mail Stop 918 National Center
    U.S. Geological Survey
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA 20192
    USA
  End_Group
End_Group
End_Group
  Storage_Medium: Macintosh
Group: Distribution
  Distribution_Media: online
  Distribution_Format : TEXT
  Fees: none
End_Group
Group: Distribution
  Distribution_Media: online
  Distribution_Format : TEXT
  Fees: none
End_Group
Group: Multimedia_Sample
  URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1995/of95-070/core/meta/figure2.gif
  Format: GIF
  Group: Description
    The study area showing six north-south transects with the
    water and ice station locations.
  End_Group
End_Group
Group: Reference
End_Group
Group: Summary
  The objective of this project has been to test the
  hypothesis that gas hydrate deposits of the Beaufort Sea
  continental shelf are destabilized by the ~10°C
  temperature increase that has resulted from the Holocene
  transgression of the Arctic Ocean.
  
  This report summarizes data acquired from 1990 to 1994 for
  the gas-hydrate portion of the USGS project "Permafrost
  and gas hydrate as possible sources of methane" of the
  USGS Global Change and Climate History program.  The
  objective of this project has been to test the hypothesis
  that gas hydrate deposits of the Beaufort Sea continental
  shelf are destabilized by the ~10°C temperature increase
  that has resulted from the Holocene transgression of the
  Arctic Ocean.  To test this idea we have selected an area
  off the north coast of Alaska centered on Harrison Bay. We
  have measured the concentration of methane in surficial
  sediments, in the water column when ice is present and
  absent, and in seasonal sea ice. Our results show that
  more methane is present in the water when ice is present
  than when ice is absent, and that methane is also present
  within the ice itself, often at higher concentrations than
  in the water.  Thus the Beaufort Sea shelf of Alaska is a
  seasonal source of methane.  The primary source of this
  methane has not yet been defined, but gas hydrate is a
  reasonable candidate.
End_Group
Group: DIF_Author
  Last_name: Schweitzer
  First_name: Peter
  Middle_name: N.
  Email: pschweitzer@usgs.gov
  Phone: (703) 648-6533
  Group: Address
    Mail Stop 918
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA 20192
    USA
  End_Group
End_Group
DIF_Revision_Date: 19960930
Science_Review_Date: