Abstract
Research Article| October 01, 1999 Clathrate eustasy: Methane hydrate melting as a mechanism for geologically rapid sea-level fall John F. Bratton John F. Bratton 1U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Field Center, 384 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543-1598, USA, E-mail: jbratton@usgs.gov. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1999) 27 (10): 915–918. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0915:CEMHMA>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation John F. Bratton; Clathrate eustasy: Methane hydrate melting as a mechanism for geologically rapid sea-level fall. Geology 1999;; 27 (10): 915–918. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1999)027<0915:CEMHMA>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Although submarine methane hydrates or clathrates have been highlighted as potential amplifiers of modern global climate change and associated glacio-eustatic sea-level rise, their potential role in sea-level fall has not been appreciated. Recent estimates of the total volume occupied by gas hydrates in marine sediments vary 20-fold, from 1.2 × 1014 to 2.4 × 1015 m3. Using a specific volume change on melting of −21%, dissociation of the current global inventory of hydrate would result in a decrease of submarine hydrate volume of 2.4 × 1013 to 5.0 × 1014 m3. Release of free gas bubbles present beneath hydrates would increase these volumes by 1.1–2.0 × 1013 m3. The combined effects of hydrate melting and subhydrate gas release would result conservatively in a global sea-level fall of 10–146 cm. Such a mechanism may offset some future sea-level rise associated with thermal expansion of the oceans. It could also explain anomalous sea-level drops during ice-free periods such as the early Eocene, the Cretaceous, and the Devonian. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.
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