A tool to continuously monitor temperature, pressure, and conductivity (TPC) changes during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) coring was tested at ODP Site 1226. TPC sensors are located on the face of the standard ODP advanced piston corer piston, and the data logging electronics and batteries are embedded within the piston. This tool operates autonomously and requires little shipboard attention. The objective is to monitor the TPC changes that occur in gas-rich and gas hydrate–bearing cores and to learn about the processes that occur during core collection. Gas evolution during core recovery alters the temperature and pressure conditions within the core barrel. By establishing families of ascent curves comprising TPC data from successive cores, variations in the relative amounts of gas and gas hydrates stored in sediments can be determined at individual sites and variations between sites can be assessed. Here, the performance of the TPC tool and the response of the tool at a site without significant quantities of sediment gas are described.
1Ussler, W., III, Paull, C.K., McGill, P., Schroeder, D., and Ferrell, D., 2006. A test of the temperature, pressure, and conductivity tool at a gas-poor background site. In Jørgensen, B.B., D'Hondt, S.L., and Miller, D.J. (Eds.), Proc. ODP, Sci. Results, 201 [Online]. Available from World Wide Web: <http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/201_SR/114/114.htm>. [Cited YYYY-MM-DD]
2Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing CA 95039-9964, USA. Correspondence author: methane@mbari.org
3Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A&M University, 1000 Discovery Drive, College Station TX 77845-9547, USA.
Initial receipt: 26 July 2004
Acceptance: 7 June 2005
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publication: 18 January 2006
Ms 201SR-114