Earth Sciences Commons^™

Co2 Sequestration – Controlling Co2 Emissions To The Atmosphere Through Capture And Long-Term Storage, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about CO₂ sequestration. Defines direct and indirect sequestration and discusses the role of the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership in advancing sequestration projects. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Pcor Partnership Phase Iii – Commercial-Scale Demonstrations Of Geologic Co2 Storage In The Northern Great Plains, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on Phase III of the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy. Includes information on commercial-scale demonstrations of CO₂ geologic sequestration. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Zama Acid Gas Eor, Co2 Sequestration, And Monitoring Project, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Zama Field acid gas demonstration site, a Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership CO₂ sequestration validation project. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Using Elliptical Fourier Analysis To Compare Size Of Morphospace Occupation Between Modern Edentulous Freshwater Unionoid Mussels And The Fossils At L6516 (Slope County, North Dakota, Usa), With Remarks On Preservation, Mathew E. Burton-Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to use outline morphometric techniques to determine the number of freshwater mussel taxa present at locality L6516 (“Das Goods”),which is located in Cretaceous strata in the basal Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation in Slope County, North Dakota, U.S.A. Secondary goals were to improve the outline morphometric procedures that have been previously used to characterize fossil and extant freshwater mussels, and to describe in more detail the preservation of the edentulous unionoid specimens from the Das Goods area.

Outlines of individual mussel valves were used for morphometric analyses due to lack of preserved …

Geochemical Analysis Of Ironstone Preserved Molluscan Fossils Of The Hell Creek Formation (Cretaceous) And Ludlow Member Of The Fort Union Formation (Paleogene) Of Southwestern North Dakota, Tanya P. Justham

Theses and Dissertations

The uppermost Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and Paleocene Ludlow Member of the Fort Union Formation in easternmost Montana and western North Dakota produce ironstone preserved freshwater molluscan fossils. Ironstone preserved mollusks are associated with ironstone nodules, which have been described as composed of iron carbonate, iron oxide, or manganese oxide by various researchers. To date, the exact composition of the ironstone preservation has not been satisfactorily determined to allow agreement between researchers. Freshwater mollusk fossils, preserved as ironstone external casts, molds, and steinkerns, tend to be highly weathered. The poor preservation of the fossils has resulted in little professional interest, …

Electron Donor Potential Of Eastern North Dakota Shale Formations, Ryan J. Salinas Klapperich

Theses and Dissertations

Research involving a network of in situ mesocosms (ISM) in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa has revealed significant variation in the denitrification capacity of aquifers in different regions of these states. One aquifer in particular, the Elk Valley Aquifer (EVA) of east-central North Dakota, has the highest concentrations of electron (e) donors (organic carbon -0.4%, pyrite as S -0.4%, and ferrous iron -0.3%) within its sediments and the highest rates of denitrification. The sediments at all of the ISM sites were deposited as outwash during the last Wisconsinan glaciation (-12ka), yet their e· donor concentrations vary. I suggest that the …

Correlation Of Electron Donor Concentrations In Sediments With Sediment Properties: New Providence, Iowa, Bijesh Maharjan

Theses and Dissertations

The concentrations of electron donors in aquifer sediments are important in understanding the fate and transport of redox-sensitive constituents in ground water, such as nitrate. In this study, 50 sediment samples were collected from below the water table from 11 boreholes at the US Geological Survey Agricultural Chemicals Transport site near New Providence, Iowa. All samples were analyzed for gravel, sand (coarse, medium, and fine), silt, clay, inorganic carbon contents and for the following electron donors: organic carbon, ferrous iron, and inorganic sulfide. A subset of sediment samples was analyzed for organic sulfur, but all of the 14 samples were …

The Pcor Partnership – Building On Successful Regional, National, And International Partnerships, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. The PCOR Partnership supports regional research to advance safe and effective CO₂ storage. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Barry W. Botnen, Lisa S. Botnen, Daniel J. Daly, John A. Harju, Melanie D. Jensen, Erin M. O'Leary, Steven A. Smith, James A. Sorensen, Edward N. Steadman, Stephanie L. Wolfe, Darin R. Damiani, John T. Litynski, David W. Fischer

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas, 2nd edition, introduces global climate change and provides a regional profile of CO₂ sources and potential sinks across the PCOR Partnership region. Carbon sequestration offers a promising set of technologies through which CO₂ can be stored for long periods of time.

Methane Potential Of Upper Fort Union Formation Sandstones, Campbell County, Wyoming, Michael J. Blackstone

Theses and Dissertations

Coalbed methane has been produced from the coalbeds of the Upper Fort Union Formation in the Powder River Basin for many years. The sandstones associated with these coals have also proven to be gas-charged, but industry has done little with the sandstones thus far. The purpose of this study is to determine the paleoenvironrnent responsible for the deposition of the coal and sandstone bodies in an attempt to locate gas-charged sandstone bodies in the Tongue River Member of the Fort Union Formation.

The 30-mile by 90-mile study area was chosen because of the presence of a decrease in thick coalbed …

Resolving Terrain Effects In Borehole Temperature Profiles, Shannon M. Heinle

Theses and Dissertations

The study of borehole paleoclimatology aids scientists in determining past climate changes and in understanding current climate trends. Accurate borehole temperature logs are necessary to obtain a useful temperature profile. However, as many climate workers have discovered, borehole temperature profiles can have many causes of inaccuracy. Uncertainties associated with borehole data include errors stemming from temperature measurement, depth measurement, thermophysical property measurements, and terrain effects. Terrain effects include topography, changes in land cover over time, direct and diffused sun radiation, and groundwater flow.

This study focused on specific terrain effects influencing borehole temperature profiles in the United States borehole dataset …

Developing A Rapid Method For Assessing The Physical Stability Of Streams In Minnesota's Agassiz Beach Ridges, Abigail V. Franklund

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis assessed the physical characteristics and stability of selected western Minnesota streams that cross the eastern beach ridges of glacial Lake Agassiz. Stream and river channels in this area host unusually diverse aquatic habitat and biodiversity, but incompatible land use along channels and in watersheds impair their quality and function. Previous rapid assessment protocols have been developed for stream attributes and stability, but these methods have been developed elsewhere in the United States and are not necessarily appropriate for western Minnesota’s unique geology and landscape.

A rapid reconnaissance method was developed to assess stream conditions using an integrated numerical …

General Brochure, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Brochure about the Energy & Environmental Research Center, including its philosophy, program areas, and Centers of Excellence. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Wellbore Stability In Water-Sensitive Shales, Qingfeng Tao

Theses and Dissertations

Wellbore instability is a widespread problem, especially when drilling in deep, low strength shale formations at high temperature and pressure. The instability can be caused by the high compressive effective stress or tensile stress due to the stress concentration and pore pressure increase while drilling. In addition to the in-situ stress and shale strength, shale instability is affected by drilling mud properties including mud weight, temperature and salinity. To assess wellbore stability in these situations, Diek and Ghassemi (2004) developed a non-linear coupled chemo-poro-thermoelasticity theory. The linearized version of the theory allows one to analytically investigate the coupled impacts of …

Modeling Groundwater Denitrification By Ferrous Iron Using Phreeqc, Tedros Tesfay

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate is one of the most common groundwater contaminants, and ingesting it leads to potential health risks. Denitrification, the only effective process to eliminate nitrate, is limited by the abundance of biologically available electron donors. Thus, understanding the natural denitrification capacity of aquifers, through the analysis of all the major electron donors, is essential.

A better way to estimate groundwater denitrification reactions is to compute the mass balance of the redox sensitive species. The University of North Dakota (UND) denitrification team installed mesocosms (ISMs) to understand the fate of nitrate in field conditions. Accordingly, the team has shown the significant …

Evaluating Surface Area-Basin Volume Relationships For Prairie Potholes, Mike A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Establishing a relationship between surface area and volume of prairie potholes provides a simple method to estimate changes in water storage across the landscape. Applications include better prediction of floods and improved design for wetland restoration. Length, width, depth, surface area, and volumes were surveyed for eighty two potholes within the upper Turtle River watershed which lies sixty kilometers west of Grand Forks, ND. These data were used to determine the relationship and uncertainty between pothole surface and volume. Chi squared tests defined distributions of each variable. F and T statistical tests resolved similarities in variance and mean. The eighty …

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, John A. Harju, Erin M. O'Leary, Steven A. Smith, James A. Sorensen, Edward N. Steadman, Charles R. Nelson, Lynette L. De Silva, John T. Litynski, David W. Fischer

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas introduces global climate change and provides a regional profile of CO₂ sources and potential sinks across the PCOR Partnership region. Carbon sequestration offers a promising set of technologies through which CO₂ can be stored for long periods of time.

General Brochure, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Brochure about the Energy & Environmental Research Center, including its philosophy, program areas, and Centers of Excellence. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

What Is Co2 Sequestration?, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the CO₂ sequestration and the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. Defines CO₂ sequestration and lists project partners. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

The Weyburn Oil Field – A Model For Value-Added Direct Co2 Sequestration, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Weyburn Oil Field. Discusses CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) at Weyburn and research on combining EOR and CO₂ sequestration at the site. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Carbon Dioxide (Co2) Sequestration – Controlling Co2 Emissions To The Atmosphere Through Capture And Long-Term Storage, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about CO₂ sequestration. Defines direct and indirect sequestration and discusses the role of the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership in advancing sequestration projects. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Wetland Carbon Sinks In The Glaciated North American Prairie, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about Prairie Pothole Region wetlands and their potential to sequester carbon. Coordinated by Ducks Unlimited Canada, U.S. Geological Survey, and Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Identifying Co2 Sequestration Opportunities, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about CO₂ data organization and gathering to develop promising CO₂ sequestration opportunities within the PCOR Partnership region. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

What Is Co2 Sequestration?, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the CO₂ sequestration and the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. Defines CO₂ sequestration and lists project partners. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Assessing Recharge And Discharge Across The Prairie Pothole Landscape: Application Of Spatial Hydrological Data And Statistical Analysis In A Groundwater Flow Model, Christopher D. Laveau

Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying the spatial and temporal dynamics between groundwater recharge, discharge, and wetlands is a necessary step to develop effective water management strategies. Wetlands in the northern Great Plains play a role in flood control, water supply, and regional ecology. The water budget of a wetland in the northern prairies is often an unequal balance between moisture input and output in which the permanence of a wetland depends on its groundwater budget. Identifying and quantifying groundwater recharge and discharge zones has applications in predicting the spatial and temporal distribution of wetlands.

The current work involved the application of a groundwater model …

Geomechanics Applied To Reservoir Development In The Coso Geothermal Field, Andrew J. Nygren

Theses and Dissertations

The Coso geothermal field is located approximately 220 kilometers north of Los Angeles, CA. In 2002, a project began to develop the east flank of the Coso geothermal field into an enhanced geothermal system (EGS); in such a system water is injected via injection well(s) into hot dry basement rock through naturally occurring or stimulated fractures. The injected water gathers heat from the reservoir rock before being extracted for direct use or energy production. To develop such a reservoir, adequate understanding of the reservoir geomechanics is necessary. This thesis investigates the state of stress and rock fractures, the existing permeable …

Isotopic Tracers As Evidence Of Denitrification In The Karlsruhe Aquifer, Eben J. Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

The Karlsruhe Aquifer of north-central North Dakota has experienced considerable nitrate contamination sparking an investigation by the North Dakota State Water Commission. Certain portions of the aquifer have experienced nitrate-N concentrations of up to seven times the drinking water standard. Although contamination is evident it is possible the NO₃¯ is naturally being eliminated by denitrification, whereby bacteria reduce NO₃¯ to nitrogen gas. Evidence of denitrification may be illustrated by accelerated reduction of NO₃¯ relative to the conservative tracer Cl¯ coupled with an increase in the heavy isotopes of 15N and 18O within the NO₃¯ ion. Such an increase is not …

Regional Stratigraphy Of The Newcastle Formation (Lower Cretaceous) In Eastern Montana And Western North Dakota, Adam J. Ulishney

Theses and Dissertations

The Newcastle Formation (Lower Cretaceous) consists of sandstone with interbedded shale, siltstone, and mudstone facies. This work shows that the regional stratigraphy of the unit is detailed enough for the interpretation of its depositional history and environments in eastern Montana. This work also illustrates the possible lowstand position of the Western Interior Seaway along with probable source areas providing sediments into the study area.

A total of 3446 geophysical wireline logs were used to determine formation tops of the Greenhorn, Mowry, Newcastle, Skull Creek, and Inyan Kara Formations. The log character of the Newcastle Formation was also described for all …

Hydrology Of The Springs, Seeps, And Fens At The Nature Conservancy's Pigeon Point Preserve, Ransom County, North Dakota, Corey W. Askin

Theses and Dissertations

Pigeon Point lies along the Sheyenne River in the west-central part of the Sheyenne Delta Aquifer, southeastern North Dakota. Groundwater discharges along a north-facing bluff at Pigeon Point and forms springs, seeps, and fens 'hosting atypical boreal species. The Nature Conservancy owns 231 ha at Pigeon Point, a tract that also includes the largest and least disturbed spring-fed stream in the region as well as some of the finest riparian forest in the state. In response to possible future groundwater diversion, the objectives of this study are: 1) to characterize the Sheyenne Delta Aquifer up-gradient from Pigeon Point, 2) to …

Reevaluation Of Species Concepts Of Uppermost Cretaceous Unionidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) : Hell Creek Formation, Montana, U.S.A., Marron J. Bingle

Theses and Dissertations

Species are the basic units of life relative to taxonomy, and a practical definition of species is imperative to paleontology in order to promote reproducible, unambiguous criteria for accurately interpreting past species relationships. The need for a well-defined rubric for identifying species is evident in the freshwater mussel assemblage (Family Unionidae) in the Hell Creek Formation. The Hell Creek Formation unionid species were first described by Whitfield in 1903 and 1907. His descriptions were often based on differences of a single trait. In 1976, Russell reevaluated the original species descriptions, I but still based the classification of species on only …