SAMS news room

19 Dec 2011 information evening about Ardmucknish Bay carbon storage research

Dr Henrik Stahl, a scientist at the Scottish Marine Institute at Dunstaffnage, is inviting local people to an information evening about an upcoming research project that will take place in Ardmucknish Bay in the spring of 2012, investigating possible issues relating to carbon dioxide storage in sub-seabed reservoirs. The meeting is scheduled for Monday 19 December at 20:00 in the Victory Hall, Benderloch and is open to all. It was originally scheduled for Thursday 8th December when heavy storms made it unsafe to hold the event.

The experiment will investigate potential environmental impacts from Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), a process aiming to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. The process captures carbon dioxide at fossil fuel power stations and stores it at depth beneath the ground, often deep under the seabed (e.g. in depleted oil or gas reservoirs). This locks the carbon dioxide away from the atmosphere, where it may otherwise contribute to climate change.

“Governments and energy companies around the world are now looking into CCS as a way of mitigating our ever increasing emissions of carbon dioxide. The technology to do this is more or less in place, with the expectation that CCS will be safe. It is, however, critical to understand the impacts from potential carbon dioxide leaks and how best to monitor CCS sites. As little is known about what will happen to marine life around a potential leak of carbon dioxide from a CCS reservoir, our project will investigate the nature and environmental impacts of carbon dioxide leaks that could develop at CCS storage sites”, explains Dr Stahl.

“We plan to mimic, on a very small scale and under controlled conditions, a carbon dioxide leak event and monitor how the ecosystem is impacted and how quickly it recovers after the leak has stopped. We will also use the experiment to test various methods of monitoring and discovering potential carbon dioxide leaks from a CCS reservoir.”

“Our work will provide important information on operational and risk assessment procedures for any future CCS installation.” 

“We have made every effort to ensure that the impacts from our research on conservation, recreational and fisheries activities in the area will be minimal.” 

“We are using Ardmucknish Bay - the bay between North Connel and Benderloch - because it has ideal geophysical characteristics for the proposed experiment and is close to SAMS and the National Facility for Scientific Diving. ”

SAMS Director, Professor Laurence Mee, said: “Together with visiting experts from as far as Japan Henrik’s team of scientists will be addressing some really big issues with this research and are exploring possible solutions to the climate change challenge. Conducting this work in Argyll once again demonstrates that this part of the world makes important contributions to research that matters.”

Ends

 

• Dr Anuschka Miller, Scottish Marine Institute, Oban PA37 1QA
• T: 01631 559 300
• M: 07786 327780
• E: Anuschka.Miller@sams.ac.uk

 

About the project

1. The Ardmucknish Bay experiment will run during the spring/summer of 2012
2. Carbon dioxide will be released over 30 days at rates 80-800 kg / day
3. From a land-based gas storage container carbon dioxide will be pumped through a bore hole that terminates 10m below the sediment surface. The release site will be around 350 m from the shore in water depths of 10-12m.
4. Effects will be monitored using various sensors, acoustic techniques and from diver collected sediment cores. Both the seabed and water will be monitored for at least three months beyond the 30-day release period.
5. Potential impacts include a change in acidity (pH) in sediments affected by the release; carbon dioxide release into the atmosphere; changes in the structure and diversity of seafloor communities
6. Full project title: Quantifying and Monitoring Potential Ecosystem Impacts of Geological Carbon Storage (QICS)
7. Co-funded by the Natural Environment Research Council of the UK and the Department of Energy and Climate Change of the UK
8. Lead partner: Plymouth Marine Laboratory (coordinator: Jerry Blackford)
9. Other partners: Scottish Marine Institute; National Oceanography Centre; British Geological Survey; University of Southampton; Heriot-Watt University; Durham University; University of Bristol; DNV
10. Project duration: June 2010 – May 2014

 

About the Scottish Marine Institute

1. The Scottish Marine Institute delivers research and education that aim to improve our understanding and sustainable use of the marine environment. It is home to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), a learned society that is among the oldest oceanographic organisations in the world. The organisation has close partnership links with the University of the Highlands and Islands and the Natural Environment Research Council. The Institute is based near Oban and SAMS employs ca 150 staff. For more information see www.smi.ac.uk