Open AccessStability of relic methane hydrates under climatic changes in the Holocene
Author(s) -
M. M. Arzhanov,
Valentina V. Malakhova,
И. И. Мохов,
М. Р. Парфенова
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/386/1/012019
Subject(s) - permafrost , holocene , methane , geology , thermokarst , latitude , clathrate hydrate , physical geography , atmospheric sciences , climatology , oceanography , earth science , chemistry , hydrate , geography , organic chemistry , geodesy
The results of numerical modeling of the thermal regime of high-latitude permafrost regions of Western Siberia (the Yamal Peninsula) for the last 6 thousand years are presented. Thermobaric conditions for stability and dissociation of continental methane hydrates are defined. It is shown that at the present time relict methane hydrates can exist at depths of up to 150 m in the strata of frozen soil of Yamal above the modern boundary of the stability zone, having “survived” warming in the Mid-Holocene warm period (about 6,000-5,000 years ago) at negative temperatures in the permafrost. According to the results obtained, the current warming in Yamal region exceeds the warming of the Mid-Holocene. The increase of the temperature of the permafrost layer can reduce the strength of the soil and lead to dissociation of the near-surface gas hydrates.