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| Volume 46, Number 2, Fall 1998 |
Freelance science writer Kevin Krajick is the recipient of the 1998 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism. The award is presented annually by the American Geophysical Union for one published work that informs the general public about research in the geophysical sciences. The award is named for the legendary New York Times science reporter Walter Sullivan.
Krajick winning entry was “The Crystal Fuel,” published in the May 1997 issue of Natural History. Editor Bruce Stutz noted in his introductory column to that issue that, aside from earthquakes and volcanoes, “rocks don’t usually get great press,” but Krajick’s article on the ongoing investigations into gas hydrates reported real news.
It was only recently that the methane hydrate crystal was discovered to exist—mostly under the seabed—in large quantities. Krajick reported that, in fact, the energy contained in these crystals might be twice that of Earth’s entire coal, oil, and gas reserves combined. He discussed the various effects, both good and ill, that release of the “crystal fuel” could cause.