The Arctic ocean floor hosts vast amounts of methane trapped as hydrates, which are ice - like, solid
mixtures of gas and water.These hydrates are stable
under high pressure and cold
temperatures.
Gas hydrates — a
mixture of ice and methane — are found only
under high pressure and at cold
temperatures, and they are expected to make up a significant portion of the energy mix once existing oil fields dwindle, says David Scott, manager of the Northern Resources Development Program for Natural Resources Canada.