Dr. Thomas Naehr Conducts Keynote Lecture on Geological Engineering in China

Thomas Naehr

Dr. Thomas Naehr, an associate professor of Geology and Environmental Science in the University’s College of Science and Technology, gave the keynote lecture at the 2007 International Conference on Geological Engineering in Wuhan, China, in October.

Naehr’s presentation centered on the history challenges, and developments in scientific drilling for gas hydrates. His visit is part of a collaborative agreement between Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and China University of Geosciences.
            
Gas hydrate is an ice-like, solid substance in which water molecules form an open solid lattice that encloses appropriately sized molecules of light. Estimates indicate that gas hydrate deposits may contain more organic carbon than all the world’s non-hydrate hydrocarbon deposits combined. The magnitude of this global storehouse of methane has raised serious inquiry into the possibility of using methane hydrate as a source of energy.

During his academic career, Naehr has sailed on more than a dozen offshore research expeditions, including ODP Leg 164, the first scientific drilling campaign that targeted gas hydrate deposits offshore South Carolina. He has also made extensive use of manned and unmanned submersibles to collect gas hydrate samples from near-seafloor deposits.