Environmental considerations for subseabed geological storage of CO2: a review

Many countries are now using or investigating offshore geological storage of CO2 as a means to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions. Although associated research often focuses on deep-basin geology (e.g. seismic, geomagnetics), environmental data on the seabed and shallow subseabed is also crucial to (1) detect and characterise potential indicators of fluid seeps and their potential connectivity to targeted storage reserves, (2) obtain baseline environmental data for use in future monitoring, and (3) acquire information to facilitate an improved understanding of ecosystem processes for use in impact prediction. This study reviews the environmental considerations, including potential ecological impacts, associated with subseabed geological storage of CO2. Due to natural variations in CO2 levels in seafloor sediments, baseline CO2 measurements and knowledge of physical–chemical processes affecting the regional distribution of CO2 and pH are critical for the design of appropriate monitoring strategies to assess potential impacts of CO2 seepage from subseabed storage reservoirs. Surficial geological and geophysical information, such as that acquired from multibeam sonar and sub-bottom profiling, can be used to investigate the connectivity between the deep reservoirs and the surface, which is essential in establishing the reservoir containment properties. CO2 leakage can have a pronounced effect on sediments and rocks which in turn can have carryover effects to biogeochemical cycles. The effects of elevated CO2 on marine organisms are variable and species-specific but can also have cascading effects on communities and ecosystems, with marine benthic communities at some natural analogue sites (e.g. volcanic vents) showing decreased diversity, biomass, and trophic complexity. Despite their potential applications, environmental surveys and data are still not a standard and integral part of subseabed CO2 storage projects. However, the habitat mapping and seabed characterisation methodology that underpins such surveys is well developed and has a strong record of providing information to industry and decision makers. This review provides recommendations for an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to offshore geological storage of CO2, which will benefit national programs and industry and will be valuable to researchers in a broad range of disciplines

Oil source rock potential of the lacustrine Jurassic Sim Uuju Formation, West Korea Bay Basin. Part II. Nature of the organic matter and hydrocarbon-generation history

The offshore West Korea Bay (WKB) Basin is one of a series of NE-SW rift basins which formed in Korea and eastern China over thin continental crust during the Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic, and is characterised by a two-layered structure - a Cenozoic basin is superposed on a pre-Tertiary basin. In Part I of this paper (Massoud et al., 1991), paraffinic oils recovered from Mesozoic and Tertiary sandstone intervals were found to have been generated from different source beds. Also, a probable thick (400-500 m) Jurassic source bed for the Mesozoic oil was geochemically identified in the basinal offshore area of the lacustrine Sim Uuju sequence penetrated by Well 606. In this Paper, the Authors complete the hydrocarbons survey on the formation by studying the type, amount and maturity of organic matter present, and the history of hydrocarbon generation. They conclude that the Jurassic bed could be considered as a major source for the Mesozoic oil in the WWB Basin, provided that it is of a sufficient extent to have produced large volumes of oil

Occurrence of aquatic invertebrates of the wheatbelt region of Western Australia in relation to salinity

The wheatbelt region of Western Australia has been extensively cleared of indigenous vegetation for agriculture and is now severely affected by dryland salinity. Wetlands that were once freshwater are now saline and others are under threat, as are the animals and plants that inhabit them. Rising groundwater is also affecting the many naturally saline playas. To provide a framework for setting conservation priorities in this region a biological survey was undertaken, including sampling of aquatic invertebrates at 230 wetlands. In this paper, we have used data from the survey to summarise occurrence of species in relation to salinity. Total species richness at a wetland showed no response to salinity below 4.1 g l)1 and then declined dramatically as salinity increased. When halophilic species were excluded from consideration, species richness was found to decline from 2.6 g l)1. These patterns are compared to previous studies of richnesssalinity relationships. There is some evidence that the freshwater invertebrate fauna of the wheatbelt may be comparatively salt tolerant, with 46% of freshwater species collected at salinities above 3 g l)1 and 17% above 10 g l)1, though these proportions differed between various invertebrate groups. While this tolerance will provide a buffer against the effects of mild salinisation, many species are at risk of regional extinction as salinisation becomes more widespread.Adrian M. Pinder, Stuart A. Halse, Jane M. McRae & Russell J. Shie