New research highlights the danger of gas hydrates

Insurers need to be aware of a potential new geohazard which could increase the likelihood of extreme weather events, according to research by the Benfield Hazard Research Center (BHRC). Gas hydrates, ice-like deposits of water and gas, are being influenced by global warming, a trend which could increase floods, droughts, wildfires and other phenomena.Gas hydrates are ice-like deposits of water and gas which are trapped in ocean sediment and permafrost regions places where temperatures are low and pressures high. The gas is mostly methane. With the rising water levels and increased temperatures that come with climate change, gas hydrates could be broken down into their components of water and gas. Given that methane is 21-times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, its release into the atmosphere has the potential to accelerate global warming well beyond the level that is currently predicted by models.The risk may be greatest for permafrost regions, such as Alaska, where local phenomena could include increased erosion and landsliding events which could impact the region’s buildings, and even oil and gas pipelines. In oceanic regions, submarine landslides on the continental slope, causing tsunami which could damage oil platforms and coastal installations. Even larger tsunami events could impact the entire ocean basin.”Gas hydrates will be a major geohazard in the 21st century,” says Dr. Mark Maslin, author of the report. “Global warming will destabilize gas hydrates in permafrost areas and may, depending on the rate of global warming, cause the oceans to start releasing vast quantities of methane. Both of these would cause major local damage and may even affect global climate.”The full report can be found at www.benfieldhrc.org.