Gas Hydrates and their Implications for Global Changes: Climate, Environment, and Energy

Gas hydrates, ice-like solid materials capable of trapping significant amounts of low-molecular gases, primarily methane, represent one of the largest methane reservoirs on Earth. These natural systems are susceptible to environmental changes, particularly those associated with climate warming, and play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. The transport of fluids in the subsurface, influenced by rapid climate change, affects seafloor fluxes and carbon budgets, raising questions about the stability and future behavior of these systems. Recent studies have highlighted the dual role of gas hydrates as both a potential source and sink of greenhouse gases, emphasizing their importance in climate dynamics. Despite advancements in understanding their behavior, significant gaps remain in predicting their response to environmental changes and in developing technologies to harness their potential for energy and carbon management. Addressing these gaps is essential for mitigating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality.

This Research Topic aims to explore interdisciplinary and innovative studies on gas hydrates and associated fluid dynamics. The primary objectives include understanding the dynamics of natural gas hydrate systems and their interaction with environmental and climate changes, as well as advancing hydrate-based technologies for energy transition and carbon emission mitigation. Key questions involve the mechanisms driving hydrate stability and the potential of these systems to contribute to or mitigate climate change. The research will also test hypotheses related to the development and application of hydrate-based technologies for carbon capture and storage.

To gather further insights into the complex dynamics of gas hydrates and their implications for climate and energy, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Studying multi-phase systems and multi-physics dynamics in the seabed and the permafrost
• The role of anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM) in the gas hydrate systems
• The role of gas hydrate and free gas in future climate
• Tipping points in marine and permafrost environments related to the internal system dynamics
• Reservoir models related to gas hydrate systems, biogenic and thermogenic methane generation
• Laboratory experiments on gas hydrate systems, including the potential role of microorganisms
• Hydrate-based technologies for Hydrogen and Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS)
• Modelling and simulation of hydrate-based industrial processes in the context of mitigating anthropogenic carbon emissions

Keywords: gas hydrates, marine environments, permafrost, climate, energy transition, anaerobic methane oxidation, reservoir model, biogenic, thermogenic, methane generation, carbon capture, microorganisms, biogeochemical dynamics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.