Policy incentives for carbon capture and storage technologies in Europe: A qualitative multi-criteria analysis

In this paper, we compare different policy incentives for overcoming investment uncertainties that are typical for low-carbon technologies prior to their commercialisation, some of which may be attributable to market failures. The paper focuses on the particular case of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and conducts a qualitative multi-criteria analysis of different public policy support schemes for CCS demonstration to evaluate their suitability. The assessed schemes include mandatory CCS, emission performance standards and several different financial incentives (in addition to the European Union Emission Trading Scheme). Based on the available literature and on experience in the UK and Germany with promotion instruments for low-carbon technologies, the results of our analysis suggest that two alternative schemes, a CCS bonus incentive or a carbon dioxide (CO₂) price guarantee, perform best in comparison with the other assessed instruments. While they reduce the uncertainty of CCS investments in the face of low European Union Allowance prices, they also avoid significant adverse impacts on operational and investment decisions in electricity markets.     

Crude Oil at the Bemidji Site: 25 Years of Monitoring,Modeling, and Understanding

The fate of hydrocarbons in the subsurface near Bemidji, Minnesota, has been investigated by a multidisciplinary group of scientists for over a quarter century. Research at Bemidji has involved extensive investigations of multiphase flow and transport, volatilization, dissolution, geochemical interactions, microbial populations, and biodegradation with the goal of providing an improved understanding of the natural processes limiting the extent of hydrocarbon contamination. A considerable volume of oil remains in the subsurface today despite 30 years of natural attenuation and 5 years of pump‐and‐skim remediation. Studies at Bemidji were among the first to document the importance of anaerobic biodegradation processes for hydrocarbon removal and remediation by natural attenuation. Spatial variability of hydraulic properties was observed to influence subsurface oil and water flow, vapor diffusion, and the progression of biodegradation. Pore‐scale capillary pressure‐saturation hysteresis and the presence of fine‐grained sediments impeded oil flow, causing entrapment and relatively large residual oil saturations. Hydrocarbon attenuation and plume extent was a function of groundwater flow, compound‐specific volatilization, dissolution and biodegradation rates, and availability of electron acceptors. Simulation of hydrocarbon fate and transport affirmed concepts developed from field observations, and provided estimates of field‐scale reaction rates and hydrocarbon mass balance. Long‐term field studies at Bemidji have illustrated that the fate of hydrocarbons evolves with time, and a snap‐shot study of a hydrocarbon plume may not provide information that is of relevance to the long‐term behavior of the plume during natural attenuation.     

Vulnerability study on a large industrial area using satellite remotely sensed images

The aim of this paper is to disseminate knowledge in the seismic science community about a possible tool which is not largely popular, despite its potential usefulness. In this paper it will be shown how satellite remotely sensed images may represent a powerful source of information where traditional sources of information are unable to deliver it, or at least to do so timely. Even when traditional information flow can ensure delivery, an advantage may still be found in terms of sooner availability and smaller amount of labour required. In the case shown here a vulnerability study was made on a vast industrial area in the gulf of Siracusa, Sicily, Italy. A series of concurrent factors made it particularly troublesome to obtain information on the structures found in the site (tanks, pipes, chimneys, roads, ...), required to suitably carry out the study. Satellite images were then acquired to obtain the information needed. Processing of the images was carried out relying on in-house software formerly developed for similar information extraction issues, and integrated with new, specifically developed elements, some pieces of information were obtained useful for seismic risk evaluation. In particular, location, footprint, elevation of significant structures (e.g. tanks, chimneys) could be evaluated, obtaining results in a format compatible with the most widespread GIS (Geographic Information System) standards. Such compatibility allowed a considerable savings on labour time required to lay a GIS of the area, which is a fundamental tool for risk and vulnerability analyses.     

Research on the Distribution and Content of Water Ice in Lunar Pole Regions Using Clementine UVVIS Data

Interest in the Moon started to increase at the beginning of the 21st century,and henceforth,more and more attention has been paid to the content and distribution of water ice in the lunar polar regions.The existence of water or ice in the regolith can apparently change its dielectric features.Therefore,in this article,the Dobson model is adopted and improved according to the Moon's environmental features,to construct the relationship between the volumetric water ice content and the dielectric constant.Ther...     

Analyses of the chondritic meteorite Orvinio (H6): Insight into the origins and evolution of shocked H chondrite material

Abstract— We have studied the petrography, reflectance spectra, and Ar‐Ar systematics of the Orivinio meteorite. Orvinio is an H chondrite not an L chondrite as sometimes reported. The material in the meteorite was involved in several impact events. One impact event produced large swaths of impact melt from H chondrite material surrounding relict clasts of chondrule‐bearing material. Not only were portions of a bulk H chondrite planestesimal melted during the impact event, but shock redistribution of metal and sulfide phases in the meteorite dramatically altered its reflectance spectra. Both the melt and relict clasts are darker than unshocked H chondrite material, bearing spectral similarities to some C‐class asteroids. Such shock metamorphism, which lowers the albedo of an object without increasing its spectral slope, may partially explain some of the variation among S‐class asteroids and some of the trends seen on asteroid 433 Eros. Noble gases record the evidence of at least two, and perhaps three, impact events in the meteorite and its predecessor rocks. The most significant evidence is for an event that occurred 600 Ma ago or less, perhaps ?325 Ma ago or less. There is also a signature of 4.2 Ga in the Ar‐Ar systematics, which could either reflect complete degassing of the rock at that time or partial degassing of even the most retentive sites in the more recent event.     

Monopoly

Summary. A model for the geomagnetic secular variation field is given, consisting of a series of magnetic monopoles at the surface of the Earth's core. These are distributed according to the density of the data to allow more detailed representation in areas where the density of observations is high, without introducing spurious detail where data are sparse. A monopole model is calculated from observatory secular change data for the epoch 1957.5–1962.5 and its usefulness assessed.