New Book Edited By Researchers From 3 Pittsburgh Universities Now Available On The Environmental Impacts From The Development Of Unconventional Oil & Gas Reserves

John Stolz, Duquesne University, Daniel Bain, University of Pittsburgh and Michael Griffin, Carnegie Mellon University are co-editors on a new book just published by Cambridge University Press on the Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reserves.

The development of unconventional oil and gas shales using hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling is currently a focal point of energy and climate change discussions. 

While this technology has provided access to substantial reserves of oil and gas, the need for large quantities of water, emissions, and infrastructure raises concerns over the environmental impacts. 

Written by an international consortium of 34 experts, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the extraction from unconventional reservoirs, providing clear explanations of the technology and processes involved. 

Each chapter is devoted to different aspects including global reserves, the status of their development and regulatory framework, water management and contamination, air quality, earthquakes, radioactivity, isotope geochemistry, microbiology, and climate change. 

Case studies present baseline studies, water monitoring efforts and habitat destruction. 

The chapters include--

1. Global unconventional oil and gas reserves and their development; 

2. Unconventional shale gas and oil extraction in the Appalachian Basin; 

3. An overview of unconventional gas extraction in Australia – the first decade; 

4. The governance of fracking: history, differences and trends; 

5. Air quality; 

6. Methane and climate change; 

7. Water usage and management;

8. Seismicity induced by the development of unconventional oil and gas resources;

9. Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM); 

10. Metal isotope signatures as tracers for unconventional oil and gas fluids; 

11. Isotopes as tracers of atmospheric and groundwater methane sources; 

12. The microbiology of shale gas extraction; 

13. Evaluation of potential water quality impacts in unconventional oil and gas extraction: the application of elemental ratio approaches to Pennsylvania pre-drill data; 

14. A baseline ecological study of the tributaries in the Tenmile Creek Watershed, Southwest Pennsylvania; 

15. The effects of shale gas development on forest landscapes and ecosystems in the Appalachian Basin; and

16. Managing TDS [Total Dissolved Solids] and Sulfate in the Monongahela River Three Rivers QUEST.

The book is available as an Amazon Kindle book.  Hardcover editions are not yet available.

For more information, visit the Cambridge University Press Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reserves webpage.

Related Article:

-- Environmental Health Project Profile: Dr. John Stolz, Duquesne University - Monitoring Impact Of Shale Gas Extraction On Private Water Wells, Groundwater In SW PA  [7.25.22]

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[Posted: September 8, 2022]  PA Environment Digest