Research into naturally occurring clathrates in sediments forms a major part of work at the Centre. Studies in this area are currently funded by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) through a Research Development Grant.

Research combines advanced experimental and modeling studies aimed at addressing many of the important issues regarding hydrates in the natural environment. Work currently focuses on:

• Sedimentological controls (pore size, mineralogy, wettability, gas/liquid saturation) on hydrate growth and dissociation kinetics, thermodynamic stability, and phase distribution.
• Detection and quantification of hydrates in sediments – acoustic properties of sediments hosting hydrates and seismic interpretation.
• Evaluation of methane exploitation and CO2 sequestration schemes.
• Hydrates as a geohazard – danger to deepwater hydrocarbon drilling and production operations, hydrates and subsea slope stability.