Review of Non-living resources (Task 3.2)

The objective of this task, a review of available information on the role and exploitation of gas hydrates and other non-living resources, is to identify avenues for future action.

Background and Rationale

The unique hydrography of the Mediterranean with warm deep waters, deep-water mass formation and its oligotrophic character, together with the extreme environmental conditions that can be found in the Black Sea make this issue a very important one. The Eastern Mediterranean has many diverse environments resulting from active tectonics in the region which have created deep basins, hydrothermal activity, mud volcanoes, cold seeps, canyons, seamounts, brine lakes and gas hydrates at the seabed.

This task identified, from existing information, the current state and trends of non-living resources. The design of a future study on the understanding of gas hydrates, where they occur, in what quantity and how they can be recovered, was included in this task. This exercise enables us, based on the results of existing projects, to identify the steps that have to be taken in the future.

Task leader

Vasilis Lykousis, vlikou@ath.hcmr.gr

Participants