Anthropogenic bio-turbation, pressure cells and leading edge plumes. Welcome to the strange new world of carbon dioxide storage, where exploration and production geoscientists immerse themselves in an unfamiliar dialect and, instead of hunting down reservoirs from which to extract hydrocarbons, must now unearth subsurface zones to safely store the greenhouse gas.
This exotic geological patois was to the fore at an event held in London last month that spelled out just how critical carbon capture and storage (CCS) is to address climate change, as scientists laid bare the subsurface challenges and delved into the sector’s emergent projects in Europe and the US.