Das Projekt "Submarine Grundwasserstroemungen und Transportprozesse aus methanreichen kuestennahen sedimentaeren Bereichen - Sub.-G.A.T.E." wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Kiel, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Geologie durchgeführt. The objective of the project is to quantify and model submarine groundwater-fluxes and trannsport processes in coastal sedimentary environments under special emphasis of the methane cycle. Target areas are coastal environments of the Eckernfoerder Bucht and Kattegat (W-Baltic Sea) and of the Irish Sea. The following specific objectives are defined: -Characterize the hydrogeological setting of the catchment area and vents in the Baltic Sea; - Identify flow and transport processes from active submarine vents in the different target areas; - Estimate fluid venting and groundwater seepage across the sediment-water interface;- characterize relevant biogeochemical processes and fluxes of methane; - Identify temporal variations of the depth of the methane saturation zone and is relation to groundwater seepage; -Quantify the groundwater flow patterns and geochemical transport processes including early diagenetic reactions on a regional scale by 2D and 3 D models. The meeting of these objectives will be based on a number of field measuring programs, laboratory work and an extensive data analysis phase, including groundwater flow and biochemical modeling.