New research from The University of Texas at Austin has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists’ understanding of how gas hydrates could contribute to climate change and energy security. The research used a computer model of gas bubbles flowing through hydrate deposits, a common phenomenon which… Continue Reading Computer Model Solves Mystery of How Gas Bubbles Build Big Methane Hydrate Deposits
Xian Wu Receives AGU’s Outstanding Student Presentation Award For El Niño Talk
Xian Wu, a graduate research assistant at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) has received the Outstanding Student Presentation Award for a talk she gave at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in December 2019. The award includes a certificate, $150 cash prize and complimentary tickets to a banquet during AGU’s next… Continue Reading Xian Wu Receives AGU’s Outstanding Student Presentation Award For El Niño Talk
UTIG Investigates Sea Level Threat of Giant Antarctic Glacier
Polar researchers from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) have joined colleagues in West Antarctica to conduct vital surveys of one of the most unstable glaciers on Earth. At around the size of Florida, Thwaites Glacier holds enough water to raise average global sea levels up to a meter. What’s more, if it… Continue Reading UTIG Investigates Sea Level Threat of Giant Antarctic Glacier
New study gives hope for predicting long lasting El Niño and La Niña
A scientific paper by a graduate student at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) has explained why some El Niño and La Niña events last longer than others, a result that could help predict their worst effects. The paper, which was published in August in the Journal of Climate, shows that El Niño… Continue Reading New study gives hope for predicting long lasting El Niño and La Niña
A day in the lab: Microbial life and the origin of methane hydrates
Massive natural gas reserves, trapped within methane hydrate deposits in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, have the potential to power the US with natural gas for hundreds of years. The GOM² project is a multi-disciplinary, long-term, commitment by the University of Texas at Austin in partnership with academic and governmental colleagues to drill, sample and… Continue Reading A day in the lab: Microbial life and the origin of methane hydrates