In the context of global clean energy demand and climate change, the dynamic monitoring of methane is crucial for carbon cycle research and greenhouse gas assessment. In order to solve the problem of cavity mode noise limiting measurement performance in the off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) system, an optimization method based on white noise injection was proposed. A broadband white noise perturbation is introduced into the distributed feedback (DFB) laser, and the Savitzky-Golay (S-G) filtering algorithm is used to further reduce the noise. It effectively suppresses the coherence of cavity mode noise, reduces the noise floor, and improves the signal-to-noise ratio and measurement sensitivity of the system. Experiments show that when white noise with a modulation depth of 30% is injected, the signal-to-noise ratio of the system is increased by about 3.16 times, and the methane measurement limit is optimized from 5.32 ppm to 2.22 ppm of the original system, which is about 2.4 times. The Allan deviation showed a significant increase in minimum detectable limit. Further verification by methane dynamic test shows that the system response time is about 1 min, showing reliable measurement stability. This study provides an innovative technical solution for high-precision methane measurement, which is of great significance for promoting in-situ greenhouse gas monitoring and climate model optimization.

In situ electric heating is an important method used to increase production capacity during the extraction of natural gas hydrates. This work numerically evaluated the sensitivity of different heating parameters on gas production behavior with a vertical well depressurization in the Shenhu Sea area hydrate reservoir, the production pressure difference of 4 MPa, and continuous depressurization for 1080 days. The results showed that the in situ electric heating method can effectively enhance production capability by promoting hydrate dissociation and eliminating secondary hydrates. Compared with scenarios without heating, implementing whole wellbore heating (100 W/m) increases cumulative gas production (V_g) by 118.56%. When intermittent heating is applied to the local wellbore (15 m) located in the three-phase layer (with an interval of 30 days) and stops heating in advance at 480 days, there is no significant difference in V_g compared to the whole wellbore heating case, and the cumulative heat input is only 4.76%. We recommend considering intermittent heating of the local wellbore and stopping heating in advance during vertical well depressurization as this approach significantly reduces heating energy consumption while simultaneously improving production capacity.

The remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a vital deep-sea platform, offers key advantages, including operational duration via continuous umbilical power, high task adaptability, and zero human risk. It has become indispensable for deep-sea scientific research and marine engineering. To enhance surveys of cobalt-rich crusts (CRCs) on complex seamount terrains, the 4500-m-class Haima ROV integrates advanced payloads, such as underwater positioning systems, multi-angle cameras, multi-functional manipulators, subsea shallow drilling systems, sediment samplers, and acoustic crust thickness gauges. Coordinated control between deck monitoring and subsea units enables stable multi-task execution within single dives, significantly improving operational efficiency. Survey results from Caiwei Guyot reveal the following: (1) ROV-collected data were highly reliable, with high-definition video mapping CRCs distribution across varied terrains. Captured crust-bearing rocks weighed up to 78 kg, drilled cores reached 110 cm, and acoustic thickness measurements had a 1–2 cm margin of error compared to in situ cores; (2) Video and cores analysis showed summit platforms (3–5° slopes) dominated by tabular crusts with gravel-type counterparts, summit margins (5–10° slopes) hosting gravel crusts partially covered by sediment, and steep slopes (12–15° slopes) exhibiting mixed crust types under sediment coverage. Thicker crusts clustered at summit margins (14 and 15 cm, respectively) compared to thinner crusts on platforms and slopes (10 and 7 cm, respectively). The Haima ROV successfully investigated CRC resources in complex terrains, laying the groundwork for seamount crust resource evaluations. Future advancements will focus on high-precision navigation and control, high-resolution crust thickness measurement, optical imaging optimization, and AI-enhanced image recognition.