Baseline monitoring and sampling at Longyearbyen

In order to develop and verify new and sensitive technologies for leakage detection of anthropogenic CO2 beyond baseline levels in overburden and surface, pristine samples for baseline characterization from future CO2 storage sites are essential. This pre -project will use the rare opportunity of the current drilling campaign on the Longyearbyen CO2 Lab to sample cores for pore gas analysis and microbial metagenomic analysis. The main goals are to establish the natural gas composition and isotope ratios of selected compounds in a depth profile in the overburden over the planned CO2 reservoir, and collect samples for microbial community structure analysis along the same depth profile. The samples and the data produced will form a basis for future monitoring for CO2 leaks after the CO2 reservoir has been established and form a basis for further project generation. It will also give valuable input into the collaborating projects.