New Oil Deposits Can Be Identified Through Satellite Images

Global Warming News : New Oil Deposits Can Be Identified Through Satellite Images A new map of the Earths gravitational force based on satellite measurements makes it much less resource intensive to find new oil deposits. The map will be particularly useful as the ice melts in the oil-rich Arctic regions. Ole Baltazar, senior scientist at the National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space), headed the development of the map. The US company Fugro, one of the worlds leading oil exploration companies, is one of the companies that have already made use of the gravitational map. The company has now initiated a research partnership with DTU Space. Ole Baltazars gravitational map is the most precise and has the widest coverage to date, says Li Xiong, Vice President and Head Geophysicist with Fugro. On account of its high resolution and accuracy, the map is particularly useful in coastal areas, where the majority of the oil is located. Satellite measurements result in high precision Ole Baltazars map shows variations in gravitational force across the surface of the Earth and knowledge about these small variations is a valuable tool in oil exploration. Subterranean oil deposits are encapsulated in relatively light materials such as limestone and clay and because these materials are light, they have less gravitational force than the surrounding materials. Ole Baltazars map is based on satellite measurements and has a hitherto unseen level of detail and accuracy. With this map in your hands, it is, therefore, easier to find new deposits of oil underground. Climate change is revealing new sea regions The gravitational map from DTU Space is unique on account of its resolution of only 2 km and the fact that it covers both land and sea regions. Oil companies use the map in the first phases of oil exploration. Previously, interesting areas were typically selected using protracted, expensive measurements from planes or ships. The interesting areas appear clearly on the map and the companies can, therefore, plan their exploration much more efficiently. The map will also be worth its weight in gold when the ice in the Arctic seriously begins to melt, revealing large sea regions where it is suspected that there are large deposits of oil underground. With our map, the companies can more quickly start to drill for oil in the right places without first having to go through a resource-intensive exploration process, explains Ole Baltazar. Based on height measurements instead of direct gravitation measurements

The success of the gravitational map is due in large part to the fact that it is not based on direct gravitation measurements but on observations of the height of the sea, which reflects the gravitation. Height measurements have the advantage that it is possible to determine the gravitational field very locally and thus make a gravitational map with a resolution of a few km. For comparison, the resolution of satellite measurements of gravitational force is typically around 200 km. Satellite gravitation measurements are used, for example, to explore conditions in the deeper strata of the Earth, but are not well suited to our purposes, Ole Baltazar explains. Source: Global Warming News, Climate Change, Greenhouse Effect information at sciencedaily.com ShareThis
February 28th, 2009 | Posted in Global Warming News | No Comments

Commercial Ships Spew Half As Much Particulate Pollution As Worlds Cars

Global Warming News : Commercial Ships Spew Half As Much Particulate Pollution As Worlds Cars Commercial ships emit almost half as much particulate pollutants into the air globally as the total amount released by the worlds cars, according to a new study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The study is the first to provide a global estimate of maritime shippings total contribution to air particle pollution based on direct emission measurements. The authors estimate ships emit about 1,100 tons of particle pollution globally each year. Ship pollutants affect both global climate and the health of people living along coastlines, according to the study authors. The findings appear online the week of Feb. 23 in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Since more than 70 percent of shipping traffic takes place within 250 miles of the coastline, this is a significant health concern for coastal communities, said lead study author Daniel Lack, a researcher with the NOAA-supported CU Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences based at NOAAs Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder. Earlier research by one of the studys co-authors, James Corbett of the University of Delaware, linked particle pollution to premature deaths among coastal populations.

Commercial ships emit both particle pollution and carbon dioxide, but they have opposite effects on the climate, said the researchers. The particles have a global cooling effect that is at least five times greater than the global warming effect from the ships CO2 emissions. The particles affect both climate and health, said the researchers. CO2 from ships makes up roughly 3 percent of all human-emitted CO2 and almost 30 percent of smog-forming nitrogen oxide gases. During summer 2006, Lack and colleagues aboard the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown analyzed the exhaust from over 200 commercial vessels, including cargo ships, tankers and cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel. The researchers also examined the chemistry of particles in ship exhaust to understand what makes ships such hefty polluters. Ships emit sulfates, the same particles associated with diesel-engine cars and trucks and which have resulted in tighter regulations regarding on-road vehicle fuel standards, according to the research team. Sulfate emissions from ships vary with the concentration of sulfur in ship fuel, the authors found. Globally, fuel sulfur content is capped under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. As a result of the cap, some ships use cleaner, low-sulfur fuels, while others continue to use the high-sulfur counterparts. But sulfates make up just under half of shippings total particle emissions, according to the NOAA-CU study. Organic pollutants and sooty, black carbon which make up the other half of emissions are not directly targeted by todays regulations. A 2008 study by Lacks team focused exclusively on soot. Emissions of non-sulfate particles depend on the operating speed of the engine and the amount of lubricating oil needed to deal with wear and tear from burning less-refined fuels, according to the researchers. Fortunately, engines burning cleaner, low-sulfur fuels tend to require less complex lubricants, said Corbett. So the sulfur fuel regulations have the indirect effect of reducing the organic particles emitted. One surprising result of burning low-sulfur fuels was that while total particle emissions diminish, the time the remaining particles spend in the air appears to increase. Its while theyre airborne that particles pose a risk to human health and affect climate, according to the study. Lack and colleagues found that the organic and black carbon portion of ship exhaust is less likely to form cloud droplets. As a result, the particles remain suspended for longer periods of time before being washed to the ground through precipitation. NOAA-supported Cooperative Institutes are academic and nonprofit research institutions that demonstrate the highest level of performance and conduct research that supports NOAAs Mission Goals and Strategic Plan.

Source: Global Warming News, Climate Change, Greenhouse Effect information at sciencedaily.com