GeoSpectrum

Dam removal is gaining popularity across the country and the March issue of Geotimes explores this new trend, and what happens when the dams come down.

The number of large and small dams being removed from U.S. rivers is few, but increasing, as both river restoration gains popularity and aging dams lose their license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But with these removals come ecological and geological unknowns.

Geotimes follows the story of Marmot Dam in northwestern Oregon to learn more about what happens when a human-made structure is removed from a river after 94 years. Water flow, sedimentation fluctuations and ecological changes could occur but little is known about the natural processes involved when such a large structure is removed after a long period of time. By using the Marmot Dam as a case study, future dams can be removed more easily and efficiently.

Read learn more about changing landscapes, including what America’s developed coastlines can expect as the climate changes and how salinity is a growing problem in many of the world’s agricultural areas, plus read about dangerous contaminants in China’s water and follow the Appalachian Trail into Canada, in the March issue of Geotimes magazine, available February 29 on newsstands and on the Web at http://www.geotimes.org.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and environment news by checking out Geotimes online at http://www.geotimes.org. Published by the American Geological Institute, Geotimes is your source for news and perspectives on research, technology and policy that affects you everyday. Sign up for E-alerts, our short, weekly e-mails that alert subscribers to new content posted on the Geotimes Web site, and subscribe to the magazine at http://www.geotimes.org.

In the February issue of Geotimes magazine, now available on newsstands and online at http://www.geotimes.org, Geotimes examines the complicated issues surrounding Iraq’s oil exploration and production.

Iraq boasts the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. Unfortunately, the instability that comes with war, attacks on infrastructure and the outdated technology currently in use in Iraq has led to the lowest reserve-to-production ratio of all oil-producing countries.

Before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraq was averaging 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) in oil production. Currently, the average in the country is 2.0 million bpd. What will it take to bring production up to 6 million bpd by the end of the decade?

Exploration and development in Northern Iraq could easily, and quickly, increase production by 100,000 bpd. Because of this, the Kurdistan Regional Government has started the process of setting up oil exploration and production agreements with smaller foreign oil companies. But these agreements are in direct opposition to the wishes of the central government and may not have any legal standing without a country-wide Hydrocarbon Law. Still, will these developments make it easier for other oil companies to invest in Iraq?

Learn more about Iraqi oil plus read about oil exploration in sub-Saharan Africa and gas exploration in the United States, in the February issue of Geotimes magazine, available now on newsstands and on the Web at http://www.geotimes.org.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and environment news by checking out Geotimes online at http://www.geotimes.org. Published by the American Geological Institute, Geotimes is your source for news and perspectives on research, technology and policy that affects you everyday. Sign up for E-alerts, our short, weekly e-mails that alert subscribers to new content posted on the Geotimes Web site, and subscribe to the magazine at http://www.geotimes.org.

With oil hovering around $90 a barrel, Geotimes magazine examines emerging trends and issues in several obvious, and some not-so-obvious locations, in this month’s cover story “Oil Around the World.”

Land disputes, foreign sanctions, terrorism, war and economics play into the exploration and recovery of the world’s oil and natural gas reserves. Be it Libya, Iraq or Norway, the South China Sea or India, many of the issues are the same, leading to complications that often keep investors away from vast oil and natural gas reserves.

Land disputes rule the future of oil and gas exploration in many parts of the world. Uncertainty about the boundary between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea is an obstacle to the development of vast oil and gas resources. Likewise, Asian countries continue to dispute areas of the South China Sea, locking away the possible oil and gas resources from the global economy. Yet, the economic possibilities are bringing countries together in cooperative seismic studies. Will this yield the potential for international agreement and investment?

Along with China, the growth in India has been fingered as one of the causes of the spike in oil prices. Though not historically a major oil producer, India’s heritage and geology may yield some future surprises.

Of course political and military conflict has a major impact on oil and gas supplies and prices. Thanks to a thawing of relations between the West and Libya and the potential high return for investment in Iraq, some companies are finding that wading into conflict-torn territories may be a gamble well worth the risk.

Read these stories and more on the latest in oil exploration in sub-Saharan Africa and gas exploration in the United States, in the February issue of Geotimes magazine, available now on newsstands and on the Web at http://www.geotimes.org.

Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and environment news by checking out Geotimes online at http://www.geotimes.org. Published by the American Geological Institute, Geotimes is your source for news and perspectives on research, technology and policy that affects you everyday. Sign up for E-alerts, our short, weekly e-mails that alert subscribers to new content posted on the Geotimes Web site, and subscribe to the magazine at http://www.geotimes.org.