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Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition

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A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 5176

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Wei Zhang

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Guest Editor

Sanya Institute of South China Sea Geology, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Sanya, China
Interests: gas hydrate; marine and petroleum geology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Pibo Su

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Guest Editor

Sanya Institute of South China Sea Geology, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Sanya, China
Interests: natural gas hydrate; oil and gas; geophysical exploration
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Dr. Jiliang Wang

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Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, Hainan
Interests: marine geophysics; gas hydrate
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Prof. Dr. Qianyong Liang

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Guest Editor

National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
Interests: gas hydrate; environmental influence; geochemistry
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural gas hydrate has been widely accepted as a clean energy source with great potential. Some countries, especially those that have strong demands for fossil fuels, have put extensive effort into conducting studies on the exploration and development of gas hydrate surrounding continental margins, utilizing powerful technologies. The academic and industrial communities have also paid great attention to this field by conducting studies concerning the mechanism of hydrate accumulation and how it affects resources and the environment. In recent years, breakthroughs in gas hydrate exploration have been made in many regions around the world, showing good prospects in terms of exploration and development. However, the mechanisms of hydrate accumulation, resource evaluation, and environmental impacts have still not been fully addressed, restricting the exploitation and utilization of hydrate resources and thus necessitating further research.

The aim of this Special Issue is to advance research on gas hydrate exploration and discovery in continental margins, with an emphasis on the mechanism of accumulation and the assessment of marine hydrate's environmental and resource benefits. Papers on the following topics are welcome: gas hydrate exploration, exploration theory and technology, the distribution and occurrence of hydrates in nature, resource appraisal techniques and technology, environmental monitoring, and the relationship between hydrates and climate change. We welcome the submission of both review and research papers to this Special Issue.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

Geological, geophysical, and geochemical method for the exploration of gas hydrate;
Dynamic gas hydrate system and methane recycling;
Hydrate occurrence associated with cold seeps;
Resource evaluation and prediction methods;
Environmental monitoring and evaluation of the gas hydrate system;
The interaction between climate change and the gas hydrate system;
New technology and applications in gas hydrate exploration.

Dr. Wei Zhang
Prof. Dr. Pibo Su
Dr. Jiliang Wang
Prof. Dr. Qianyong Liang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

gas hydrate system
resource evaluation and prediction
accumulation mechanism
environmental monitoring and evaluation

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

36 pages, 6078 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Numerical Evaluation of Hydrate Saturation in Marine Sediment During the Injection Process of Self-Heat Generating Fluid

by Kewei Zhang, Kaixiang Shen, Yanjiang Yu, Yingsheng Wang, Jiawei Zhou and Jing Zeng

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(9), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13091772 - 13 Sep 2025

Viewed by 304

Abstract

Marine gas hydrates are recognized as a promising offshore energy resource. Self-heat fluid injection is an innovative thermal-enhanced gas recovery technique for hydrate exploitation engineering. This study numerically investigates hydrate saturation during the self-heating reagent injection process in a sub-sea hydrate reservoir, decoupled from gas production interference. This process employs two consecutive stages: reactive chemical flow stage followed by non-reactive flow stage. The simulation output parameters encompass reservoir temperature, fluid saturation, thermal conductivity, and heat flow rate. The base case demonstrates that fluid injection elevates reservoir temperature from 13.0 °C to 29.3 °C and reduces hydrate saturation from 0.40 to 0.21 through coupled heat–mass transfer mechanisms during the reactive flow stage. In the consequent non-reactive flow stage, hydrate saturation decreases to zero. Sensitivity analysis reveals that initial permeability variation governs the hydrate saturation and temperature during the non-reactive phase. The permeability range of less than 15 mD is the optimal threshold preventing hydrate reformation during fluid injection. 55–70 mD permeability triggers severe secondary hydrate generation, which decreases the fluid application feasibility. Fluid flooding demonstrates superior hydrate dissociation efficacy compared to in situ thermal stimulation. This study develops a novel simulation approach to characterize marine hydrate saturation dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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17 pages, 26803 KB

Open AccessArticle

High-Precision Small-Scale 3D Seismic Technology for Natural Gas Hydrate Exploration in the Northern South China Sea

by Dasen Zhou, Siqing Liu, Xianjun Zeng, Limin Gou, Jing Li, Jingjing Zhang, Xiaozhu Hao, Qingxian Zhao, Qingwang Yao, Jiafa Zhang, Jiaqi Shen, Zelin Mu and Zelin He

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(9), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13091703 - 3 Sep 2025

Viewed by 459

Abstract

To address the demand for high-precision exploration of natural gas hydrates in the northern South China Sea, this paper presents a novel high-precision small-scale 3D seismic exploration technology. The research team independently developed a seismic acquisition system, incorporating innovative designs such as a narrow trace spacing of 3.125 m and a short streamer length of 150 m. By integrating advanced processing techniques, including pre-stack noise suppression, spectral broadening, and refined velocity analysis, the system significantly enhances the precision and spatial resolution of shallow seismic data. During field trials in the Qiongdongnan basin, the system successfully acquired 3D seismic data over an area of 50 km², enabling fine-scale imaging of sub-seabed strata within the upper 300 m. This represents a notable improvement in resolution compared to conventional 3D seismic technologies. When benchmarked against international counterparts such as P-cable, our system demonstrates distinct advantages in terms of exploration depth (reaching 1800 m) and dominant frequency range (spanning 10~390 Hz). The research findings provide a reliable technical approach for the detailed characterization of natural gas hydrates and the inversion of reservoir parameters, thereby holding significant practical value for advancing the industrial development of natural gas hydrates in China’s offshore areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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15 pages, 10859 KB

Open AccessArticle

Gas Hydrate Exploration Using Deep-Towed Controlled-Source Electromagnetics in the Shenhu Area, South China Sea

by Jianping Li, Zhongliang Wu, Xi Chen, Jian’en Jing, Ping Yu, Xianhu Luo, Mingming Wen, Pibo Su, Kai Chen, Meng Wang, Yan Gao and Yao Zhang

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(9), 1665; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13091665 - 29 Aug 2025

Viewed by 480

Abstract

This study presents the first application of a deep-towed transmitter–receiver marine controlled-source electromagnetic (TTR-MCSEM) system for gas hydrate exploration in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea. High-resolution electromagnetic data were acquired along a 13 km transect using dynamic source–receiver offsets and a 500 A transmitter. The results reveal the following: (1) unprecedented near-seafloor resolution (20~100 m) for the precise delineation of hydrate-bearing caprock, surpassing conventional ocean-bottom electromagnetic systems; (2) laterally continuous high-resistivity anomalies (~10 Ω·m) extending from the base of the gas hydrate stability zone to the seafloor, which correlate with seismic bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) distributions and suggest heterogeneous hydrate saturation; and (3) fault-controlled fluid migration pathways that supply hydrate reservoirs and lead to seabed methane seepage at structural highs. Through 2D inversion, we show that the inverted resistivity values (~10 Ω·m) are slightly higher than those obtained from resistivity logs (~5 Ω·m). Saturation values derived from inverted resistivity exhibit remarkable consistency with well-log-based measurements. The high efficiency of the system confirms its potential for the transformative quantitative assessment of hydrate systems, seafloor massive sulfides, and marine geohazards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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19 pages, 5533 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sedimentary Processes of Gas Hydrate-Bearing Layers in the Dongsha Area, South China Sea: Implications for Hydrate Accumulation

by Yuhan Wang, Chenyang Bai, Zhe Wang, Wenlin Chen, Xiaolei Xu, Hongyuan Xu and Hongbin Wang

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(8), 1550; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13081550 - 12 Aug 2025

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Abstract

The methane flux in the Dongsha area in the northern South China Sea is relatively high. The results indicate the presence of both shallow and deep gas hydrate reservoirs at the Site DS-W08. The gas hydrate reservoir in this area is mainly composed of fine-grained sediments, and high-saturation gas hydrates are present. The shallow-GHR (8–24 mbsf) exhibits a maximum hydrate saturation of 14% (pore volume). The deep-GHR (below 65 mbsf) shows a maximum hydrate saturation of 33% The suspended sedimentation process on the banks of turbidity currents and the deep-water traction current sedimentation process play potentially important roles in the enrichment of gas hydrates. To investigate the influence of sedimentary processes on gas hydrate accumulation, this study analyzed gas hydrate saturation, sediment grain size, grain compositions, biological components, and geochemical characteristics of hydrate-bearing and adjacent layers at Site DS-W08. Sediment grain size analysis suggests that the studied layer was formed through the interaction of turbidity current-induced overbank suspended deposition and traction current deposition. By comprehensively analyzing the comparison of sediment Sr/Ba ratios and the data of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils, it is found that the bank deposits and traction current deposits triggered by turbidity currents correspond to glacial periods and interglacial periods, respectively. Analysis of biological components shows that layers with high foraminifera content and traction current-modified sediments are more favorable for gas hydrate accumulation. Hydrate reservoirs are all composed of traction current deposits, and the cap rock rich in foraminifera fossils at the top promotes hydrate formation; while the fine-grained turbidites formed during the turbidite deposition process inhibit hydrate accumulation. This study aims to deepen the understanding of the enrichment mechanism of natural gas hydrates and support the commercial development of fine-grained sediments in the northern South China Sea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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27 pages, 7871 KB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Reservoir Identification of Gas Hydrates with Well Logging Data Based on Machine Learning in Marine Areas: A Case Study from IODP Expedition 311

by Xudong Hu, Wangfeng Leng, Kun Xiao, Guo Song, Yiming Wei and Changchun Zou

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(7), 1208; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13071208 - 21 Jun 2025

Viewed by 648

Abstract

Natural gas hydrates, with their efficient and clean energy characteristics, are deemed a significant pillar within the future energy sector, and their resource quantification and development have a profound impact on the transformation of global energy structure. However, how to accurately identify gas hydrate reservoirs (GHRs) is currently a hot research topic. This study explores the logging identification method of marine GHRs based on machine learning (ML) according to the logging data of the International Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 311. This article selects six ML methods, including Gaussian process classification (GPC), support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and logistic regression (LR). The internal relationship between logging data and hydrate reservoir is analyzed through six ML algorithms. The results show that the constructed ML model performs well in gas hydrate reservoir identification. Among them, RF has the highest accuracy, precision, recall, and harmonic mean of precision and recall (F1 score), all of which are above 0.90. With an area under curve (AUC) of nearly 1 for RF, it is confirmed that ML technology is effective in this area. Research has shown that ML provides an alternative method for quickly and efficiently identifying GHRs based on well logging data and also offers a scientific foundation and technical backup for the future prospecting and mining of natural gas hydrates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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22 pages, 5197 KB

Open AccessArticle

Electrical Resistivity Tomography Methods and Technical Research for Hydrate-Based Carbon Sequestration

by Zitian Lin, Qia Wang, Shufan Li, Xingru Li, Jiajie Ye, Yidi Zhang, Haoning Ye, Yangmin Kuang and Yanpeng Zheng

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(7), 1205; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13071205 - 21 Jun 2025

Viewed by 694

Abstract

This study focuses on the application of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) for monitoring the growth process of CO₂ hydrate in subsea carbon sequestration, aiming to provide technical support for the safety assessment of marine carbon storage. By designing single-target, dual-target, and multi-target hydrate samples, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and residual neural networks (ResNets) were constructed and compared with traditional image reconstruction algorithms (e.g., back-projection) to quantitatively analyze ERT imaging accuracy. The experiments used boundary voltage as the input and internal conductivity distribution as the output, employing the relative image error (RIE) and image correlation coefficient (ICC) to evaluate algorithmic performance. The results demonstrate that neural network algorithms—particularly RNNs—exhibit superior performance compared to traditional image reconstruction methods due to their strong noise resistance and nonlinear mapping capabilities. These algorithms significantly improve the edge clarity in target identification, enabling the precise capture of the hydrate distribution during carbon sequestration. This advancement effectively enhances the monitoring capability of CO₂ hydrate reservoir characteristics and provides reliable data support for the safety assessment of hydrate reservoirs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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20 pages, 14743 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Prediction of Shallow Unconsolidated Sand in Deepwater Areas

by Jiale Chen, Yingfeng Xie, Tong Wang, Haoyi Zhou, Zhen Zhang, Yonghang Li, Shi Zhang and Wei Deng

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(6), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13061044 - 26 May 2025

Viewed by 591

Abstract

Recently, shallow gas fields and hydrate-bearing sand in the deepwater area of the northern South China Sea have been successively discovered, and the accurate prediction of shallow sands is an important foundation. However, most of the current prediction methods are mainly for deep oil and gas reservoirs. Compared with those reservoirs with high degree of consolidation, shallow sandy reservoirs are loose and unconsolidated, whose geophysical characteristics are not well understood. This paper analyzes the logging data of shallow sandy reservoirs recovered in the South China Sea recently, which show that the sand content has a significant influence on Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of the sediments. Therefore, this paper firstly constructs a new petrophysical model of unconsolidated strata targeting sandy content and qualitatively links the mineral composition and the elastic parameters of the shallow marine sediments and defines a new indicator for sandy content: the modified brittleness index (MBI). The effectiveness of MBI in predicting sandy content is then verified by measured well data. Based on pre-stack seismic inversion, the MBI is then inverted, which will identify the sandy deposits. The method proposed provides technical support for the subsequent shallow gas and hydrate exploration in the South China Sea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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25 pages, 14510 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Analysis of Subsea Sediment Engineering Properties Based on Long-Term In Situ Observations in the Offshore Area of Qingdao

by Zhiwen Sun, Yanlong Li, Nengyou Wu, Zhihan Fan, Kai Li, Zhongqiang Sun, Xiaoshuai Song, Liang Xue and Yonggang Jia

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(4), 723; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13040723 - 4 Apr 2025

Viewed by 750

Abstract

The drastic changes in the marine environment can induce the instability of seabed sediments, threatening the safety of marine engineering facilities such as offshore oil platforms, oil pipelines, and submarine optical cables. Due to the lack of long-term in situ observation equipment for the engineering properties of seabed sediments, most existing studies have focused on phenomena such as the erosion suspension of the seabed boundary layer and wave-induced liquefaction, leading to insufficient understanding of the dynamic processes affecting the seabed environment. In this study, a long-term in situ observation system for subsea engineering geological environments was developed and deployed for 36 days of continuous monitoring in the offshore area of Qingdao. It was found that wave action significantly altered sediment mechanical properties, with a 5% sound velocity increase correlating to 39% lower compression, 7% higher cohesion, 11% greater internal friction angle, and 50% reduced excess pore water pressure at 1.0–1.8 m depth. suggesting sustained 2.2 m wave loads of expelled pore water, driving dynamic mechanical property variations in seabed sediments. This long-term in situ observation lays the foundation for the monitoring and early warning of marine engineering geological disasters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Marine Gas Hydrate Exploration and Discovery—2nd Edition)

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