About the project
The project team with partners from United Kingdom (UK), Greece (G) and Norway (N) proposes to use the Next Generation Technology of metagenomics and bioinformatic, for offshore post injection and long-term monitoring of CO2 storage sites. DNA extracted from seafloor sediments exposed to in situ CO2 release at the Scottish west coast will be analysed and compared to our existing CO2 anomaly signatures from the North Sea. An automatic workflow for fast finding and precise detection of genes associated with prokaryotic CO2 assimilation will be generated.
Correlation analysis of geochemical parameters and genetic anomalies in in situ and ex situ CO2 exposed sediments will be made. To be able to estimate the resolution and sampling frequency required for safe long term monitoring of CO2 storage sites, we will calculate the theoretical migration of CO2 to the seabed from a conceptual storage site model with cap rock leakage. Based on this approach we will suggest monitoring campaigns and recommendations for the conceptual storage site model and estimate the monitoring costs. The carbon capture and storage community needs a technique able to detect deviations from baseline conditions in the seafloor in good time before CO2 migrates from the seafloor into the sea water where pelagic organisms such as fish can be affected.
Financing
This project is funded by The Research Council of Norway - program CLIMIT
Collaborators
Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
National Technical University of Athens
Scottish Association for Marine Science
Durham University
Period
01.09.2013 - 31.10.2016