Distribution and origin of dissolved methane, ethane and propane in shallow groundwater of Lower Saxony, Germany

Schloemer, Stefan; Elbracht, Jörg; Blumenberg, Martin; Illing, Christian J.

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2016.02.005

Cited by 30 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…However, these fives samples all show extreme deuterium enrichment with δD-CH 4 values between 100 and 300‰ (Figure 6B). Such highly enriched values have previously been associated with fractionation caused by methane oxidation (Etiope et al, 2011;Schloemer et al, 2016). Rayleigh fractionation modelling with carbon isotope fractionation factors ε C of 7 and 12 (definitions in confirms that this shift in isotopic and molecular composition of the dissolved gasses in these samples can indeed be attributed to methane oxidation (Figure 6A).…”

Section: • Shallow Aquiferssupporting

confidence: 78%

“…The 10 mg.L -1 and 28 mg.L -1 hazard mitigation threshold values proposed by the US Department of the Interior (Eltschlager et al, 2001) are exceeded in 7.5% and 2.8% of well screens. Median methane concentrations in the Netherlands are considerably higher than those observed in the neighbouring German state of Lower Saxony (~0.002 mg.L -1 , Schloemer et al, 2016), which borders the Netherlands in the north-east, and in Great Britain, where the largest median value was observed for South Wales (~0.032 mg.L -1 , Bell et al, 2017). While dissolved methane concentrations in the Netherlands are thus relatively high, much higher median methane concentrations have been observed at the regional scale, such as in the Los Angeles Basin (39 mg.L -1 , Kulongoski et al, 2018).…”

Section: Nationwide Groundwater Methane Concentration Datasetmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Schout¹

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Oil and gas development can cause unintended connectivity between the deep subsurface and shallow aquifers. Methane leaking through such connections can result in groundwater contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and can constitute an explosion hazard. When leaking methane enters into groundwater and soil systems it is subject to a number of processes that can retain it, degrade it, and alter its molecular and isotopic signature. This signature is used for environmental fingerprinting of methane origin, and can be further changed by mixing of leaking methane with naturally occurring biogenic sources. Together, the combination of those processes makes detection of leakage through surficial flux measurements or groundwater sampling challenging.In this work, the fate of methane leaking from oil and gas reservoirs into the environment was studied using a combination of scientific approaches, including groundwater sampling and analysis of dissolved gasses and isotopic tracers, soil gas flux measurements, and multiphase numerical modelling. Additionally, the occurrence of methane leakage at legacy gas wells in the Netherlands was investigated, together with a characterization of the natural distribution and origin of methane in groundwater in the Netherlands. Based on this combined hydrogeochemical investigation, the study provides further insight into the risks of methane leakage, and the processes that control its migration through the subsurface. ContentsChapter 1 | Introduction 1.1 | Methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil 1.2 | Methane geochemistry 1.3 | Construction and abandonment of oil and gas wells 1.4 | Well failure and methane leakage 1.5 | History of oil and gas production in the Netherlands 1.6 | NWO shale gas and water research program 1.7 | Research aims and thesis outline Chapter 2 | Controls on groundwater methane occurrence and origin from shallow aquifers to deep formation waters in the Netherlands 2.1 | Introduction 2.2 | Hydrogeology of the Netherlands 2.3 | Methods 2.4 | Results and discussion 2.5 | Conclusions Chapter 3 | Occurrence and fate of methane leakage from cut and buried abandoned gas wells in the Netherlands 3.1 | Introduction 3.2 | Materials and Methods 3.3 | Results 3.4 | Discussion 3.5 | Conclusions Chapter 4 | The impact of an historic underground gas well blowout on the current methane chemistry in a shallow groundwater system 4.1 | Introduction 4.2 | Hydrogeological setting 4.3 | Methods 4.4 | Results and discussion 4.5 | Conclusions Chapter 5 | Impact of groundwater flow on methane gas migration and retention in unconsolidated aquifers 5.1 | Introduction 5.2 | Material and Methods 5.3 | Results 5.4 | Discussion 5.5 | Conclusions Chapter 6 | Synthesis 6.1 | Introduction 6.2 | Summary of main findings 6.3 | Origin and distribution of groundwater methane in the Netherlands 6.4 | Fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface 6.5 | The risks of methane leakage in the Dutch context Summary Samenvatting List of Publications Dankwoord Curri...

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Section: • Shallow Aquiferssupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Nationwide Groundwater Methane Concentration Datasetmentioning

confidence: 97%

Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Schout¹

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“…48 Research is also being conducted to establish pre-drilling baseline environmental conditions. 49,50 . Despite this concerted collection of data, there remains a lack of effort committed to investigating the potential impacts of UNGD on human health in the EU.…”

Section: Stringent Environmental Regulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing unconventional natural gas development: Understanding risks in the context of the EU

Prpich

Coulon

2018

Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health

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Unconventional natural gas development (UNGD, e.g. shale gas) poses a threat to the environment and human health. While the Member States of the European Union (EU) decide whether to develop this resource, they require evidence to assess the associated risks. Much of the evidence regarding the risks (e.g. contamination, exposure, disturbance) comes from the US, and we argue this evidence cannot be used by the Member States to conduct risk assessments due to demographic differences, geological differences, and differences in regulation. The EU, as a whole, has recognized their need for evidence and has funded research partnerships to explore the environmental effects of UNGD. We argue that such research efforts need to be extended further in order to address the gaps in human health studies and to develop comprehensive environmental baseline studies.

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“…A 10 ml aliquot of the gas was kept for the δ 13 C CH 4 analysis. The δ 13 C CH 4 values were determined using a modified continuous flow Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer IRMS (Thermo Fisher MAT253), coupled to the Gas Chromatograph (GC, Agilent 6890) by a GC-C/TC III interface (Thermo Fisher, modified 15 after Schloemer et al, 2016). The modifications involved both a valve box with three different sampling loops, and a direct injection port.…”

Section: Hydrographical and Chemical Characteristics Of The Water Columnmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supplementary material to "Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea"

Stawiarski¹,

Otto²,

Thiel³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Distribution and origin of dissolved methane, ethane and propane in shallow groundwater of Lower Saxony, Germany

Cited by 30 publications

References 69 publications

Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Assessing unconventional natural gas development: Understanding risks in the context of the EU

Supplementary material to "Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea"

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Distribution and origin of dissolved methane, ethane and propane in shallow groundwater of Lower Saxony, Germany

Cited by 30 publications

References 69 publications

Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Origin, fate and detection of methane leaking from the deep subsurface into groundwater and soil

Assessing unconventional natural gas development: Understanding risks in the context of the EU

Supplementary material to &quot;Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea&quot;

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Supplementary material to "Controls on zooplankton methane production in the central Baltic Sea"