Heather Bedle, PhD
School of Geology and Geophyics
University of Oklahoma
George P. Williams, Jr. Lecture Hall, (Olin 101)
Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at 4:00 PM
There will be a reception with refreshments at 3:30 PM in the lounge. All interested persons are cordially invited to attend.
ABSTRACT
Methane gas hydrates buried in the shallow crust of the Earth are often difficult to image with current geophysical techniques. Understanding their extent in the crustal subsurface is important as they play a role as a future energy source. In addition, if the clathrates are destabilized from their solid form to a gas, they can enter the atmosphere and affect the climate as methane is a greenhouse gas. To improve subsurface mapping techniques of gas hydrates, Dr. Bedle and her research group have been approaching the imaging and detection problem by combining rock physics and geophysical seismic techniques. These methods are additionally enhanced by incorporating new approaches including the use of seismic attributes and machine learning algorithms. Initial results focused on gas hydrate accumulations in New Zealand will be presented.