Only twenty years ago, virtually no one had heard of methane hydrate. Today, we know that it may be the globes single largest storehouse of energy. This observation leads to all sorts of questions about hydrates as an energy source and the role hydrate plays in the natural environment. However, before these specific questions can be answered, much more must be learned: What is it? Where is it? What forms does it take? How does it interact with surrounding materials? How does it respond to potential changes in its surroundings?

In the near-term, the National Methane Hydrate R&D Program will focus on the issue of improved characterization through a combination of laboratory work, tool and model development, and field studies. Lab work must provide fundamental information on the physical and chemical properties of both pure hydrate and hydrate-bearing sediments. Engineering efforts will provide new and better tools to allow retrieval and preservation of hydrate/sediment samples for future studies. Existing technologies, such as high-resolution seismic imaging, processing, and interpretation, must be improved and tailored to fit the specific demands of delineating hydrate-bearing intervals. Finally, field work, including visits and continuous monitoring of hydrate occurrences, analysis of well data, and new drilling, must be continued so that more sites can be described in greater detail to unearth the full diversity of natural hydrate occurrence. These efforts to better understand the physical and chemical processes that control methane hydrate formation, dissociation, and interaction with the natural environment will be the key first step to unlocking the role hydrates play in seafloor stability, climate, and future energy supply.