"RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

1. Permafrost and gas hydrate related methane release in the Arctic and impact on climate change: European cooperation for long-term monitoring (PERGAMON) European Concerted Research Action COST Action ES0902 (01.02.2010 - 31.01.2014) "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

2. BACKGROUNDLarge parts of the Arctic region consist of permafrost. Melting of this permafrost leads to the release of methane trapped within or beneath it into the ocean and atmosphere. As most climate models predict a rapid increase in Arctic air and surface-water temperatures within the next few decades, the release of methane from free-gas or as gas-hydrate reservoirs in terrestrial and marine permafrost and from wetlands, tundra and shallow marine sediments, is likely to increase. At present, it is unclear whether the recent discoveries of methane anomalies in the Arctic shelf region are:simply a result of better methods of detection, whether they reflect natural variability in background emissions,or whether they really represent a new methane source (induced by the thawing of permafrost and/or the dissociation of gas hydrates). "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

3. PERGAMON will help • to coordinate European and international research initiatives that are aligned to our objectives, • to keep the European and international community informed about ongoing and planned projects, funding opportunities and research efforts and advances. • Pergamon will also provide the opportunity to define a base-line level of methane flux from the Arctic, against which perturbations due to global-warming can be gauged. • Given that Arctic is already warming at an increasingly rapid rate, it is imperative to establish this base-line level as soon as possible. "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

4. Themain objectiveof PERGAMON is: • to quantify the methane input from marine and terrestrial sources into the atmosphere in the Arctic region • ultimately to evaluate the impact of Arctic methane seepage on the global climate. • This will be achieved by studying: • the origin and type of different methane sources (dissolved/free gas, gas hydrate) both on land and in the sub-seabed • methane migration mechanisms, • biogeochemical turnover, • release mechanisms, • and finally by quantifying the flux into the atmosphere. "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

5. Additional objectives are to raise awareness, stimulate cooperation and strengthen efforts for future long-term monitoring of methane release at key sites in the Arctic: • to stimulate cooperation between the partners of PERGAMON and relevant national, EU and international programmes. • to increase knowledge transfer and exchange of data, and to provide logistical support for field campaigns via the PERGAMON webpage. • to support and incorporate early-stage researchers in the Action e.g. through participation in field campaigns and special short-course programmes prior or after workshops and conferences organized by PERGAMON. • to raise the awareness of the importance of methane release in the Arctic from marine and terrestrial sources for global climate among both the public and policy makers. • to initiate and strengthen European efforts to establish long-term ‘multi-purpose’ monitoring stations in key areas of the Arctic (both in the oceans and on land). "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

6. PERGAMON working groups: WG-A: Methane formation, transport and accumulation (free gas and gas hydrate) in terrestrial and marine sediments and permafrost WG-B1: Biogeochemical processes in the shallow sub-seafloor and at the sediment-water interface WG-B2: Effectiveness of methane transport through the water column (ocean and lakes) and assessment of methane fluxes into the atmosphere WG-C1: Methane fluxes from the terrestrial environment (wetlands, tundra, Arctic lakes) WG-C2: Remote and land-based atmospheric methane monitoring WG-D: Data compilation, integration and organization of data distribution among the scientific community. The web coordinator responsible for the Action website is part of this WG, which also provide the PERGAMON web-interface. "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

7. ACTUAL PARTICIPANTS Greece- University of Ioannina, Laboratory of Meteorology, Ioannina Israel- Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research Yigal Allon Kinneret, Limnological Laboratory, Migdal Italy- Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale OGS, Sgonico- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universita di Modena, Modena- Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR), Bologna Netherlands- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ),Texel- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Amsterdam New Zealand- GNS Sciences, Lower Hutt Norway- University of Tromsø, Institute of Geology, Tromsø - Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, Oslo Poland- Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot- Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw- Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdansk Portugal- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Caparica Belgium- Universiteit Gent, Vakgroep Geologie-Bodemkunde, Renard Centre of Marine Geology, Gent- International Bureau for Environmental Studies, Brussels Denmark- The National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen- University of Copenhagen, Institute of Geography and Geology, Copenhagen Finland- Finnish Meteorological Institute Erik Palmenin, Helsinki- University of Kuopio, Department of Environmental Science, Kuopio France- CNRS, University of Caen - Basse-Normandie, Caen - CNRS LGGE, Saint Martin d'Hyères - Ifremer, Brest- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, IPSL-LSCE Germany- Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR), Kiel - Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhave and Helgoland Russia- VNIIOkeangeologia, St. Petersburg- Petroleum Institute of Geology and Geophysics SBRAS, Novosibirsk- Institute for Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone,Yakutsk Spain- University of Barcelona, Facultat de Geologia, Barcelona- University of Cadiz,  Facultat Ciencias del Mar y Ambientales. Puerto Real (Cadiz)- Institut Catal de Cincies del Clima (IC3), Barcelona- Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), Madrid Sweden- Stockholms Universitet Institutionen för geologi och geokemi, Stockholm Switzerland- EAWAG, Kastanienbaum- University of Basel,Institute for Environmental Geosciences, Basel United Kingdom- University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Birmingham- National Oceanography Centre, Southampton- Royal Holloway, University of London- Heriot Watt University , Petroleum Engineering Institute, Edinburgh USA- Office of Naval Research, Washington "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

8. WHY TO PARTICIPATE IN PERGAMON ? • Forum for presenting scientific results on PERGAMON related topics. • Forum for exchanging information on PERGAMON topics • Multidisciplinary contacts • Possibilities (including funding) for exchange of scientists: Short Term Scientific Missions (STSM) • Possibilities for participation in cruises (field actions), including funding: STSM • Contacts for participation in new project proposals "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

9. ADVANTAGES FOR PERGAMON OF HAVING PARTICIPANTS FROM RUSSIA • Easier access to information and data from Russian scientists on PERGAMON related topics • Contacts for access to research infrastructures and field "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011

10. http://www.cost-pergamon.eu/ "RESEARCH ON OFF-SHORE PERMAFROST" VNIIOkeangeologia (St. Petersburg) January 17-18, 2011