2.8 Near surface eco-compartments

Near-surface techniques play a vital role in the preservation of shallow groundwater sources and supply critical information on any major vertical migration of injected CO2. Characterisation of the near-surface environment begins during site selection with assessing any sensitive environmental and cultural features, e.g. wetlands, floodplains, significant habitats, groundwater, soil and other resources, land use, archaeological sites, human populations, and infrastructure. The exact elements will be specific to the local requirements.

The surface and shallow subsurface are more accessible than the deep subsurface at lower cost. The residence time of CO2 is longer in the shallow subsurface than in the atmosphere above the leak, increasing the probability of detecting the leak.

Comparable to the atmosphere, there are numerous sources of near surface CO2 emissions, such as soil microbes and vegetation; in-situ remediation of oil spills produces large amounts of CO2. The soil gas system is complex and affected by factors, such as moisture content, temperature, nutrients, and barometric pressure that vary daily, seasonally and in complex patterns. Leaking CO2 may be found in the soil gas as very localised occurrence around the leakage point, although it is possible that a build-up in the vadose zone results in leakage at a topographic low point that is distant from the actual leakage point. Groundwater systems may be dynamic, responding to recharge and discharge.

CO2 leakage from a storage reservoir may create CO2 fluxes from the surface that may be difficult to distinguish from background CO2 fluxes. The magnitude of CO2 seepage fluxes depends on a variety of factors, such as the mechanism of emission (e.g. focused CO2 flow along a near-surface fault or more diffuse emission through sediments), wind and density-driven atmospheric dispersion. Hence, it is extremely important to record baseline measurements for a sufficiently long period of time before the CO2 injection begins. Anomalous surface CO2 fluxes may be detected using several proven and readily available techniques.

 

in depth

2.8.1 Soil and Seabed Gas Monitoring

Gas composition and isotopic signatures: Chemical composition of gases collected at soil and subsoil depth (or sea bed s...

2.8.2 Atmospheric Monitoring

CO2 Detectors: Leakage of CO2 can be detected by analysing the air at the ground level. The measurements can be performe...

2.8.3 Tracers – natural and introduced

Tracers are unique or highly indicative chemical species that can be used to “fingerprint” the CO2 of interest and disti...

2.8.4 CO2 detection in shallow subsurface

Shallow 2D Seismic methods implement the principles of subsurface imaging from reflected seismic waves. Seismic reflecti...

2.8.5 Vegetation stress and changes

CO2 or brine leaks from underground storage sites may have significant impacts on local ecosystems in the shallow subsur...

2.8.6 Biological monitoring

The impact of increasing CO2 concentrations in the soil column on plants, microorganisms or invertebrates due to upwardl...