5 Feb (GEOL) Carolyn Ruppel, Marine Geology

Speaker: Carolyn Ruppel, MIT Energy Initiative

Time: Thu, 5 Feb, 4:30pm ET

Location: Exploratory 1309 and via Zoom (for link, email lhinnov@gmu.edu)

Title:  Seafloor Methane Emissions and Gas Hydrate Dynamics on the US Atlantic Margin

Abstract: Nearly 15 years ago, the discovery of widespread seafloor methane emissions from the continental slope (100 – 2000 meters) between Florida and Cape Cod challenged prevailing wisdom about fluid flow and gas hydrate dynamics on this ancient, tectonically-inactive passive margin. The methane seeps, which are especially prevalent offshore Virginia to New Jersey, act as relief valves for the seafloor gas system and are critical for mobilizing carbon from the geosphere to the hydrosphere and sustaining seafloor chemosynthetic communities and water column ecosystems. Geophysical, geochemical, and seafloor video data and geochronologic analyses have revealed clues about the longevity of seafloor emissions within particular seep fields, the factors controlling seep distribution as a function of both depth and position along the margin, and the degree of connectivity between seafloor emissions and the gas hydrate reservoir.  This talk will explore key findings related to seafloor methane emissions on the U.S. Atlantic seaboard within the broader context of gas hydrate distribution, methane migration through seafloor conduits on multiple timescales, and the potential for future changes in emissions as intermediate ocean waters continue to warm.

Bio: Carolyn Ruppel is the Deputy Director of the MIT Energy Initiative, an industry consortium focused on the clean energy transition. She is also an emerita ST-rank senior research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, where she worked from 2006 to 2025. Carolyn led the USGS Gas Hydrates Project for 15 years and served as the Acting Sr. Science Advisor to the USGS Chief Scientist starting in July 2022. Carolyn received all her degrees from MIT, did a postdoc at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and was then a geophysics professor at Georgia Tech (1994-2006) and a program officer at the National Science Foundation (2003-2006). She is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor of the U.S. Department of Interior.