Energy and the shallow subsurface: from key processes to robust monitoring of geo-environmental greenhouse gases

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Substantial reductions of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are required to address climate change and the associated impacts on the natural and built environment. Canada has committed to reducing emissions 30% by 2030 and decarbonization to achieve "net-zero" emissions by 2050. Specific actions to achieve these goals are crucial in the energy sector, such as reducing the production of fossil fuels, transitioning to "cleaner" fuels (e.g., hydrogen), and implementing carbon reduction strategies (e.g., geological sequestration). The subsurface plays a critical role in each of these approaches, as thousands of legacy energy wells will remain after decarbonization and the deep subsurface will be used to store new fuels and captured GHGs. As a result, a major environmental concern is the potential release of geo-environmental GHGs from deep below the earth's surface to the shallow subsurface and atmosphere. This release may further contribute to GHG emissions and threaten potable groundwater resources. The overall impacts are not well quantified due to limited knowledge of the processes governing gas migration within the shallow subsurface and a lack of accurate monitoring techniques. The proposed research program seeks to advance quantitative understanding of the movement and fate of GHGs in the shallow subsurface and leverage process-based knowledge to develop monitoring and mitigation strategies. The focus will be on understanding gas movement and dissolution in the shallow subsurface under non-steady state conditions (i.e., pressure and temperature variation) expected across the natural landscape of the Canadian energy sector and to develop novel approaches for the detection of leaked gas. A team of seven highly qualified personnel (HQP), will conduct a complementary set of research tasks, using intermediate-scale (centimetre-to-metre) laboratory experiments coupled with numerical modelling. This team will: 1)Quantify the environmental impacts associated with geo-environmental GHGs in the energy sector; 2)Provide high-resolution datasets to establish knowledge of processes driving subsurface gas movement and fate; 3)Develop and validate numerical models to assess impacts across a variety of scales; 4)Test monitoring approaches to accurately detect signs and symptoms of anomalous gas. The results will be valuable to academics, practitioners, and policymakers, allowing identification and prioritization of legacy energy wells requiring decommissioning, safe design and operation of future energy projects, quantification of risk, and providing science-based insight for regulation and policy decisions. This program will also provide unique training to HQP allowing them to solve the complex environmental challenges Canada faces into the future. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from this research will support subsurface decarbonization efforts in the Canadian energy sector by protecting groundwater, soils, and the atmosphere.