Remote Sensing for Characterization of Geohazards and Natural Resources

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is broadly recognized as a key method to help meet climate change targets set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Paris Agreement at COP 21, by facilitating the net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere (Bui M, Adjiman CS, Bardow A, Anthony EJ, Boston A, Brown S, Fennell PS, Fuss S, Galindo A, Hackett LA, Hallett JP, Energy Environ Sci 11:1062–1176, 2018). CCS consists of three steps: capture, transport, and storage. First, CO2 emitted from industrial plants is captured relying on pre- and post-combustion techniques. It is then transported to the sink, that is, the place where it will be injected and safely stored underground. Ideal formations to store CO2 are saline aquifers, depleted hydrocarbon fields, and coal mines with either impermeable caprocks that prevents upward migration of the injected CO2 or a mineral composition that leads CO2 to precipitate in a stable carbonate form (Lackner KS, Science 300(5626):1677–1678, 2003). Successful long-term storage depends on demonstrating the formation storage capacity and requires verification that the CO2 remains confined by answering operational, regulatory, and public acceptance criteria. Accordingly, it is necessary to identify effective monitoring techniques that enable assessing potential leakages (Verkerke JL, Williams DJ, Thoma E, Int J Appl Earth Obs Geoinf 31:67–77, 2014). Remote sensing methods, integrated with in situ measurements, offer a way to efficiently monitor storage. Remotely sensed detection systems are cost effective and offer the possibility to (1) investigate wide storage areas in a short time, (2) perform frequent surveys, and (3) integrate different methodologies with ground-based measurements (Feitz AJ, Leamon G, Jenkins C, Jones DG, Moreira A, Bressan L, Melo C, Dobeck LM, Repasky K, Spangler LH, Energy Procedia 63:3881–3890, 2014). An overview of methodologies used in the context of CCS is given in this chapter as well as a case study of successful application to CO2 leakage detection.