Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and also a valuable fuel for mechanical and electrical energy generation. Huge volumes of methane lie locked up in deposits deep under the ocean. This methane is contained in structures formed in methane hydrate, an ice-like form of water, which has voids filled with methane from decayed biological material. This presents a possible new source of energy and also a possible concern for climate change if these stable structures destabilize and release large amounts of methane to the atmosphere. Wood et al (2002) provide new information of the stability of these methane reservoirs, and Pecher (2002) gives a summary of this research and provides informative graphics of the possible release mechanisms proposed by Wood et al.
Reference
Pecher, I. A., 2002: Gas hydrates on the brink. Nature 420, 622-623.
Wood, W. T., J. F. Gettrust, N. R. Chapman, G. D. Spence, and R. D. Hyndman, 2002: Decreased stability of methane hydrates in marine sediments owing to phase-boundary roughness. Nature 420, 656-660.