Hydrate Ridge

[10] A 2001 bubble plume study suggested that the free gas zone (see "Methane Venting") under surface sediments at Hydrate Ridge is thick.

If this is the case, and if other active hydrate formations share this characteristic, more methane may be released (and influence climate change) than was anticipated prior to the study, according to researchers.

The data from these tools was analyzed in a 2001 study, in which the velocities of refracted seismic waves helped scientists estimate the subsurface contents of the site (e.g. the relative thickness of its free gas zone).

A large free gas zone makes more methane available to be released into the open ocean, and, thus, can likely be more influential on climate change than a smaller one.

[11] Hydrate Ridge houses several species of methane-utilizing benthic organisms, including Calyptogena clams and microbial mats.

[5] The aforesaid aligns with a 1986 study, which stated that several large organisms at Hydrate Ridge work symbiotically with microorganisms to produce energy from methane.

[12] As a result, it enables scientists to make more, continuous observations of seasonal effects on vent activity, and of links between changes in methane flux and biochemical cycles at this specific location.