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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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USGS2012

USGS workshop on CO2 sequestration in unconventional reservoirs

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) held a workshop titled “CO2 Sequestration in Unconventional Reservoirs” at the National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA, on March 28th – 29th, 2012. Currently the USGS National Geologic Carbon Sequestration Assessment estimates potential subsurface storage volumes only in the existing pore spaces of sandstones, limestones, and dolostones (Brennan and others, 2010). Other lithologies prevalent in geologic strata, such as coal, organicrich shale, basalt, and ultramafic rocks, are not included in the current assessment. These lithologies can store CO 2 by trapping mechanisms (sorption or mineralogic reaction) other than the buoyant and residual trapping mechanisms currently being assessed (Brennan and others, 2010). Thirty-six participants representing academia, industry, and Federal and State government agencies took part in this workshop to discuss CO 2 storage in unconventional reservoirs.

Greenhouse News↗

USGS2010

It's not just about climate change - What about soils?

Vladimir Vernadsky was one of the giants of geochemistry. Considered the founder of the fi eld of biogeochemistry and a true pioneer in “whole Earth” studies, he realized by 1945 that “Man under our very eyes is becoming a mighty and ever-growing geological force.” In the intervening 65 years, his “ever-growing force” has become a tidal wave. The global population has been increasing exponentially since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and as a result has increased by nearly a factor of three between 1945, when his observation was published, and today (see fi gure). Current projections anticipate a population exceeding 9 billion by 2050. This explosive human population growth has been fueled by ancient hydrocarbons and has come with high costs. Most Earth scientists are concerned with the implications of the rapid accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The consequences include a climate state without polar ice, acidifying oceans, and increasingly variable water fl uxes. The rate and extent of these and many other negative climate-related impacts, and how to mitigate them, have caused a vigorous discussion on climate change that is in the news on a nearly daily basis.

Elements↗

USGS2003

Fire in the west: It's no simple story

As scientists who have long grappled with the complexities of fire history in the West, we take issue with Ray Ring’s overreaching storyline that the recent spate of stand-replacing forest fires reflects wholly natural processes operating across all Western landscapes (HCN, 5/26/03: A losing battle). Ring further asserts that the main driver of recent crown fires must be climatic change, and not the extraordinary fuel accumulations of the 20th century. If we want to cope with huge wildfires over the long term, Ring concludes, we should focus less on thinning our forests and more on cutting greenhouse gas emissions to curtail global warming. We appreciate that Ring’s simple storyline was meant to be provocative. We insist, however, that the circumstances driving Western wildfires are actually quite varied and complex, involving interactions between climate and fuels.

High Country News↗

USGS2006

Attention turns to naturally occurring methane seepage

Methane is the most abundant organic compound in the Earth's atmosphere. As a powerful greenhouse gas, it has implications for global climate change. Sources of methane to the atmosphere are varied. Depending on the source, methane can contain either modern or ancient carbon. Methane exiting from swamps and wetlands contains modern carbon, whereas methane leaking from petroleum reservoirs contains ancient carbon. The total annual source of methane to the atmosphere has been constrained to about 540 teragrams (Tg) per year “ Cicerone and Oremland , 1988”. Notably absent from any identified sources is the contribution of geologically sourced methane from naturally occurring seepage.

Eos, Earth and Space Science News↗