Marine Monitoring Network
CSIRO is researching procedures to monitor coastal waters and seabed processes to baseline the marine environment prior to CO2 injection over potential offshore storage sites. Data is gathered to understand how and where dissolved CO2 and gas bubbles occur naturally in coastal waters. Passive acoustic sensors and underwater sonar systems (echosounders) provide information on bubbles, while state-of-the-art marine moorings and landers measure CO2, pH, oxygen, methane, temperature and salinity. An unmanned surface vehicle was also trialled to determine its suitability as a monitoring tool.
Key CCS Focus:
- Project addresses three key technical challenges necessary to developing assurance monitoring approaches for subsea CCS operations:
- ‘Signal-to-Noise’: distinguishing CO2 release signatures from background variability to reduce detection false alarm rates in future baseline monitoring design.
- Characterising impact: determining the level of CO2 release that would be associated with environmental impact at a range of scales.
- Attributing impact: distinguishing changes resulting from other drivers and pressures in multiple-use zones from the activities of CCS operations.