Groundwater methane in a potential coal seam gas extraction region

Atkins, Marnie L.; Santos, Isaac R.; Maher, Damien T.

doi:10.1016/j.ejrh.2015.06.022

Cited by 17 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…There is concern regarding the potential impacts of gas and fluid movement, as well as depressurisation, on groundwater quality and quantity in adjacent aquifers used to support other industries (Atkins et al, 2015;Heilweil et al, 2015;Iverach et al, 2015;Moritz et al, 2015;Owen et al, 2016;Zhang and Soeder, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical constraints on the origin of methane in an alluvial aquifer: evidence for the upward migration of methane from underlying coal measures

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Geochemical and microbiological indicators of methane (CH 4 ) production, oxidation and migration processes in groundwater are important to understand when attributing sources of gas. The processes controlling the natural occurrence of CH 4 in groundwater must be understood, especially when considering the potential impacts of the global expansion of coal seam gas (CSG) production on groundwater quality and quantity. We use geochemical and microbiological data, along with measurements of CH 4 isotopic composition (δ 13 C-CH 4 ), to determine the processes acting upon CH 4 in a freshwater alluvial aquifer that directly overlies coal measures targeted for CSG production in Australia. Measurements of CH 4 indicate that there is biogenic CH 4 in the aquifer; however, microbial data indicate that there are no methanogenic archaea in the groundwater. In addition, geochemical data, particularly the isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), as well as the concentration of SO 2− 4 , indicate limited potential for methanogenesis in situ. Microbial community analysis also shows that aerobic oxidation of CH 4 occurs in the alluvial aquifer. The combination of microbiological and geochemical indicators suggests that the most likely source of CH 4 , where it was present in the freshwater aquifer, is the upward migration of CH 4 from the underlying coal measures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeochemical constraints on the origin of methane in an alluvial aquifer: evidence for the upward migration of methane from underlying coal measures

et al. 2017

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“…An example of such follow‐up research could be detecting the legacy impacts of mining on ecosystem functioning. Fossil CO 2 , CH 4 , and DOC can all be generated by mining operations (e.g., Atkins et al, ), and radiocarbon provides a clear environmental indicator for this 14 C‐free carbon entering food webs. This could provide a basis for better understanding ecosystem responses to local or regional mining impacts.…”

Section: Further Questions: What Are the Implications For Managing Gdes?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in Arid Zones Can Use Ancient Subterranean Carbon as an Energy Source in the Local Food Web

Dean

2019

JGR Biogeosciences

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Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are defined by their reliance on subterranean water resources, but GDE food webs may also depend on it as an energy source. Mazumder et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JG004925), show a clear dependency of a local GDE food web on very old, potentially geological, carbon sourced from palaeo-groundwater discharge in the arid Great Artesian Basin in Australia. These findings support the emerging paradigm that ancient groundwater carbon is an important component of inland water carbon cycling and contemporary ecosystem functioning. Future work is needed to determine what proportion of total GDE energy needs are derived from groundwater carbon across a range of geological and hydroclimatic settings.Plain Language Summary Many arid ecosystems rely on groundwater for their water needs. A new study in the arid zone of Australia shows the incorporation of ancient carbon into living aquatic species in these ecosystems. This suggests that present-day ecosystems may rely on both water and carbon resources generated thousands of years ago when the prevailing environmental conditions were significantly different than today.

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“…In many cases, large data sets are compiled using historical major ion data, such as government monitoring data, exploration data and data from CSG production wells to make these assessments [e.g., Bartos and Ogle , ; WorleyParsons , ; Feitz et al ., ; GeoScience Australia , ]. In these cases, conventional techniques are often applied to characterize CSG groundwater and groundwater in surrounding aquifers [ Bartos and Ogle , ; Van Voast , ; Taulis and Milke , ; Kinnon et al ., ; Papendick et al ., ; WorleyParsons , ; Taulis and Milke , ; Atkins et al ., ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compositional data analysis as a robust tool to delineate hydrochemical facies within and between gas‐bearing aquifers

Owen

Pawlowsky‐Glahn

Egozcue

et al. 2016

Water Resources Research

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Isometric log ratios of proportions of major ions, derived from intuitive sequential binary partitions, are used to characterize hydrochemical variability within and between coal seam gas (CSG) and surrounding aquifers in a number of sedimentary basins in the USA and Australia. These isometric log ratios are the coordinates corresponding to an orthonormal basis in the sample space (the simplex). The characteristic proportions of ions, as described by linear models of isometric log ratios, can be used for a mathematical-descriptive classification of water types. This is a more informative and robust method of describing water types than simply classifying a water type based on the dominant ions. The approach allows (a) compositional distinctions between very similar water types to be made and (b) large data sets with a high degree of variability to be rapidly assessed with respect to particular relationships/compositions that are of interest. A major advantage of these techniques is that major and minor ion components can be comprehensively assessed and subtle processes-which may be masked by conventional techniques such as Stiff diagrams, Piper plots, and classic ion ratios-can be highlighted. Results show that while all CSG groundwaters are dominated by Na, HCO 3 , and Cl ions, the proportions of other ions indicate they can evolve via different means and the particular proportions of ions within total or subcompositions can be unique to particular basins. Using isometric log ratios, subtle differences in the behavior of Na, K, and Cl between CSG water types and very similar Na-HCO 3 water types in adjacent aquifers are also described. A complementary pair of isometric log ratios, derived from a geochemically-intuitive sequential binary partition that is designed to reflect compositional variability within and between CSG groundwater, is proposed. These isometric log ratios can be used to model a hydrochemical pathway associated with methanogenesis and/or to delineate groundwater associated with high gas concentrations.

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Groundwater methane in a potential coal seam gas extraction region

Cited by 17 publications

References 68 publications

Biogeochemical constraints on the origin of methane in an alluvial aquifer: evidence for the upward migration of methane from underlying coal measures

Biogeochemical constraints on the origin of methane in an alluvial aquifer: evidence for the upward migration of methane from underlying coal measures

Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in Arid Zones Can Use Ancient Subterranean Carbon as an Energy Source in the Local Food Web

Compositional data analysis as a robust tool to delineate hydrochemical facies within and between gas‐bearing aquifers

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