Dr. Coffin and Dr. Pecher submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to conduct 16 weeks at sea over two years working down in the Ross Sea off the coast of Antarctica on deep ocean warming and the volumes of methane and oil in this region. Expectations from this research include: 1) Ross Sea high resolution seismic data; 2) an expanded Antarctica coastal seismic data interpretation of gas hydrates and hydrocarbons loading; 3) initial geochemical evaluation of Antarctica coastal sediment gas hydrate and oil inventory; 4) coastal assessment of the relative contributions of methane, oil, phytoplankton, and glacial ice carbon to surface sediment and overlying water column carbon cycling; and 5) development of data prediction and modelling contributions to predicting climate change.
