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The book offers a modern, comprehensive, and holistic view of natural gas seepage, defined as the visible or invisible flow of gaseous hydrocarbons from subsurface sources to Earth’s surface. Beginning with definitions, classifications for onshore and offshore seepage, and fundamentals on gas migration mechanisms, the book reports the latest findings for the global distribution of gas seepage and describes detection methods. Seepage implications are discussed in relation to petroleum exploration, environmental impacts (hazards, pollution, atmospheric emissions, and past climate change), emerging scientific issues (abiotic gas and methane on Mars), and the role of seeps in ancient cultures. With an updated bibliography and an integrated analysis of available data, the book offers a new fundamental awareness - gas seepage is more widespread than previously thought and influences all of Earth’s external “spheres”, including the hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere.
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Giuseppe Etiope Natural Gas Seepage The Earth’s Hydrocarbon Degassing Natural Gas Seepage Giuseppe Etiope Natural Gas Seepage The Earth’s Hydrocarbon Degassing 123 Giuseppe Etiope Sezione Roma 2 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia Rome Italy and Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca Romania ISBN 978-3-319-14600-3 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14601-0 ISBN 978-3-319-14601-0 (eBook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2014959122 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard Lao-Tzu 600BC Foreword Seepage of gases from the Earth and their chemical, physical, and biological interactions in the unsaturated zone prior to flow into the atmosphere is a field of increasing importance. The obvious role of CO2-rich gases in volcanic and geothermal systems has been an area of specialization within the field of volcanology for a considerable period of time. More subtle flows of CH4-rich gases have been applied sporadically and with some controversy to the field of petroleum exploration and are usually referred to as “surface geochemistry.” More recently, the environmental aspects of natural gas seepage from the Earth has become of increasing interest. Physical flow of gases to and from the unsaturated zone in response to changing barometric gradients was recognized and is generally understood. The atmospheric scie