Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2011
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62088 |
| _version_ | 1811078834801344512 |
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| author | Scandella, Benjamin P. (Benjamin Paul) |
| author2 | Ruben Juanes. |
| author_facet | Ruben Juanes. Scandella, Benjamin P. (Benjamin Paul) |
| author_sort | Scandella, Benjamin P. (Benjamin Paul) |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:06:08Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/62088 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:06:08Z |
| publishDate | 2011 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/620882020-10-23T19:47:53Z Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments Scandella, Benjamin P. (Benjamin Paul) Ruben Juanes. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Civil and Environmental Engineering. Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-96). The dynamics of methane transport in lake sediments control the release of methane into the water column above, and the portion that reaches the atmosphere may contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect. The observed dynamics are poorly understood. In particular, variations in the hydrostatic load on the sediments, from both water level and barometric pressure, appear to trigger free gas bubbling (ebullition). We develop a model of methane bubble ow through the sediments, forced by changes in hydrostatic load. The mechanistic, numerical model is tuned to and compared against ebullition data from Upper Mystic Lake, MA, and the predictions match the daily temporal character of the observed gas releases. We conclude that the combination of plastic gas cavity deformation and ow through "breathing" gas conduits explains methane venting from lake sediments. This research lays the groundwork for integrated modeling of methane transport in the sediment and water column to constrain the atmospheric flux from methane-generating lakes. by Benjamin P. Scandella. S.M. 2011-04-04T17:37:37Z 2011-04-04T17:37:37Z 2010 2010 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62088 707640117 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 96 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Civil and Environmental Engineering. Scandella, Benjamin P. (Benjamin Paul) Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title | Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title_full | Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title_fullStr | Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title_short | Numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| title_sort | numerical modeling of methane venting from lake sediments |
| topic | Civil and Environmental Engineering. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62088 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT scandellabenjaminpbenjaminpaul numericalmodelingofmethaneventingfromlakesediments |