STRC is a lead member of the Gulf of Mexico Hydrates Research Consortium, which is designing and installing a seafloor hydrates research observatory. The observatory is a multi-sensor station located at a gas hydrate site near Mississippi Canyon in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The facility includes geophysical, geochemical and microbial arrays and experiments and will employ techniques for hydrocarbon reservoir monitoring, such as constructing 3-D models of the reservoir's interior from seismic reflection data. Passive seismic monitoring of ambient noise will be done on a nearcontinuous basis and processed using correlation techniques to compare the data to the model. The method is expected to elucidate migration of subbottom fluids, fluid venting to the water column, and associated microbial and/or chemosynthetic community structures. An innovative new ROV was designed and developed for the observatory that can be used on ships of opportunity for other projects.

STRC Goals
STRC goals are to investigate seafloor resources and ecosystem dynamics through technological advances in surveying and observing systems. Activities are focused on (1) surveying seafloor features with advanced undersea vehicles and sensors and (2) design and installation of a seafloor observatory to study dynamics and impacts of gas hydrate deposits.

STRC Research
Current research activities focus on understanding formation and dissociation of gas hydrates, ice-like crystalline structures that encapsulate methane gas molecules. Hydrates are present world-wide in seafloor sediments, may impact seafloor stability and climate change through gas release, and have potential for development as a vast energy resource. To carry out this investigation, the Center is engaged in the science-driven design and deployment of a seafloor observatory in the Gulf of Mexico. Seafloor surveying efforts are focused on advances in high-resolution subbottom profiling technology, improved and quieter seismic profiling and miniaturized low-energy mass spectrometry for gas detection. These technologies are being designed or modified for use on AUVs, such as the NIUST's Eagle Ray.