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OIL SEEPAGE: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
    (OR THE PERCEPTION OF RISK IN OIL
              PRODUCTION)



          DR GEOFF LAWRENCE, TREICO LIMITED
                    MAY 14TH 2010
The information and illustrations are drawn from web searches and personal
knowledge. The author acknowledges the close collaboration with Fugro-NPA,
but this perspective is strictly that of the author.
Just 100km from Macondo, the Gulf of
Mexico’s natural seepage-slicks are so dense
and persistent, they are observed on 1km
resolution MODIS
Oil is being squeezed out of the GoM’s
         sediment like a sponge
Green Canyon is a cauldron of seeping oil

The liquid oil seepage of the Green Canyon region of the Gulf of
Mexico is the densest and most persistent on the planet and
definite seepage-slicks are readily observed on most cloud-free
remotely sensed images, because slick reflect in all
wavelengths. Seepage-mapping criteria were developed over
persistent oil seepage here and in California’s Santa Barbara
Channel, using, for example, Landsat optical images. The
cluster of nested slicks in the Green Canyon region on the
MODIS image is distinctive. Satellite synthetic aperture radar
(SAR) images have fine resolution and penetrate night and
cloud to image slicks consistently at low to moderate sea state.
Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil slicks



                            1.




     2.

          3.

Green, red and pink are natural seepage-slicks mapped on
satellite SAR. Dense repeating seepage coincide with many fields
                                                               5
Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil slicks

1. Green Canyon and adjacent area: dense prolific and recurring
   seepage-slicks

2. Campeche Knolls: asphalt volcanism like that off Coal Oil
   Point, at 3000m depth, coinciding with seafloor hydrate
   mounds and dense recurring seepage-slicks vertically above
   (See IR MacDonald, et al. Science, 304 14 May 2004 999-1002)

3. Natural seepage and heavy pollution; site of the IXTOC blow-
   out 1979


 Typical Green Canyon slicks illustrated on next two slides
Natural tar mats




Prolific oil seepage over a vast
region and in waters to
3000m+ centred on Green
Canyon
Seepage-slicks in Green Canyon are readily
  observed and sampled at sea; don’t be confused,
  this is oil, but is totally natural




This could be a picture over the Macondo spill!

It is the same oil!
There are thousands and thousands of natural
oil, asphalt vents, methane hydrate mounds
like these in the Santa Barbara Channel and in
the Gulf of Mexico
Seepage-slicks over Green Canyon

• Dense repeating and persistent seepage
• Exceptionally long slicks (some over 100km) especially
 where strong surface current
• Characteristically ultra-thin (ship-wakes intersect them)
• Originate from many vents; not always possible to match
 individual slick to originating vent
• Emission points often vertically above vents!
• Variation of seepage rate; seepage is periodic or blocked
 by gas hydrates (oil and gas occur as hydrate below ~300m;
 they can disassociate violently and present a major drilling hazard)
Why such prolific seepage?

• There is a widespread effective oil source
• There is volume of liquid oil (of course!)
• There is active multi-charging, migration/re-migration
• Salt diapirism forces oil upwards
• High overburden pressure resulting from kms
 of sediment*
• Intense seepage of Green Canyon corresponds to
 the juxtaposition of thick overburden and salt

*The same pressure that can overcome blow out
preventers and result in disasters like Macondo
Dense seepage and blow-outs go together

• Dense high rates of seepage results in part from high
  overburden pressure

• High overburden pressure increases the risk of well blow-outs

• Furthermore in deepwater, explosive dissociation of methane
  and ethane hydrates adds to the risk

• We have mapped these high seepage rate regions:
  Santa Barbara Channel, Green Canyon, Campeche, Southwest
  Caspian, Angola, Niger Delta, Black Sea and others.

 All these have had well blow-outs and exhale methane to the
atmosphere (methane has 20x the warming effect as CO2 but is 200 less
concentration so contributes 28% of warming that CO2 contributes)
How much oil naturally seeping from Gulf of Mexico?


Seepage is so widespread and persistent no
overall estimate has been computed

Our guess, based on the seepage-slicks we have
mapped is that it is leaking between 80000 to
800000 gallons per day

And it has been leaking probably at least three
million years!

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Oil seepage an inconvenient truth-npa seep information - gom portion

  • 1. OIL SEEPAGE: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (OR THE PERCEPTION OF RISK IN OIL PRODUCTION) DR GEOFF LAWRENCE, TREICO LIMITED MAY 14TH 2010 The information and illustrations are drawn from web searches and personal knowledge. The author acknowledges the close collaboration with Fugro-NPA, but this perspective is strictly that of the author.
  • 2. Just 100km from Macondo, the Gulf of Mexico’s natural seepage-slicks are so dense and persistent, they are observed on 1km resolution MODIS
  • 3. Oil is being squeezed out of the GoM’s sediment like a sponge
  • 4. Green Canyon is a cauldron of seeping oil The liquid oil seepage of the Green Canyon region of the Gulf of Mexico is the densest and most persistent on the planet and definite seepage-slicks are readily observed on most cloud-free remotely sensed images, because slick reflect in all wavelengths. Seepage-mapping criteria were developed over persistent oil seepage here and in California’s Santa Barbara Channel, using, for example, Landsat optical images. The cluster of nested slicks in the Green Canyon region on the MODIS image is distinctive. Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images have fine resolution and penetrate night and cloud to image slicks consistently at low to moderate sea state.
  • 5. Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil slicks 1. 2. 3. Green, red and pink are natural seepage-slicks mapped on satellite SAR. Dense repeating seepage coincide with many fields 5
  • 6. Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil slicks 1. Green Canyon and adjacent area: dense prolific and recurring seepage-slicks 2. Campeche Knolls: asphalt volcanism like that off Coal Oil Point, at 3000m depth, coinciding with seafloor hydrate mounds and dense recurring seepage-slicks vertically above (See IR MacDonald, et al. Science, 304 14 May 2004 999-1002) 3. Natural seepage and heavy pollution; site of the IXTOC blow- out 1979 Typical Green Canyon slicks illustrated on next two slides
  • 7. Natural tar mats Prolific oil seepage over a vast region and in waters to 3000m+ centred on Green Canyon
  • 8. Seepage-slicks in Green Canyon are readily observed and sampled at sea; don’t be confused, this is oil, but is totally natural This could be a picture over the Macondo spill! It is the same oil!
  • 9. There are thousands and thousands of natural oil, asphalt vents, methane hydrate mounds like these in the Santa Barbara Channel and in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 10. Seepage-slicks over Green Canyon • Dense repeating and persistent seepage • Exceptionally long slicks (some over 100km) especially where strong surface current • Characteristically ultra-thin (ship-wakes intersect them) • Originate from many vents; not always possible to match individual slick to originating vent • Emission points often vertically above vents! • Variation of seepage rate; seepage is periodic or blocked by gas hydrates (oil and gas occur as hydrate below ~300m; they can disassociate violently and present a major drilling hazard)
  • 11. Why such prolific seepage? • There is a widespread effective oil source • There is volume of liquid oil (of course!) • There is active multi-charging, migration/re-migration • Salt diapirism forces oil upwards • High overburden pressure resulting from kms of sediment* • Intense seepage of Green Canyon corresponds to the juxtaposition of thick overburden and salt *The same pressure that can overcome blow out preventers and result in disasters like Macondo
  • 12. Dense seepage and blow-outs go together • Dense high rates of seepage results in part from high overburden pressure • High overburden pressure increases the risk of well blow-outs • Furthermore in deepwater, explosive dissociation of methane and ethane hydrates adds to the risk • We have mapped these high seepage rate regions: Santa Barbara Channel, Green Canyon, Campeche, Southwest Caspian, Angola, Niger Delta, Black Sea and others. All these have had well blow-outs and exhale methane to the atmosphere (methane has 20x the warming effect as CO2 but is 200 less concentration so contributes 28% of warming that CO2 contributes)
  • 13. How much oil naturally seeping from Gulf of Mexico? Seepage is so widespread and persistent no overall estimate has been computed Our guess, based on the seepage-slicks we have mapped is that it is leaking between 80000 to 800000 gallons per day And it has been leaking probably at least three million years!