Natural CO2 seepage sites Natural CO2 seepage will be studied in
ECO2 as analogues for CO2 leakage. A number of key processes
controlling leakage pathways and impacts on biota will be
studied in situ by including natural analogue sites as
additional study sites. Moreover, natural analogues will serve
as test beds for the development of high-end monitoring
techniques. Volcanic CO2 seeps have been studied in detail by
ECO2 partners in recent years. These include the Mediterranean
Panarea gas seeps located in shallow waters off Panarea Island,
the Jan Mayen gas vents located at ~700 m water depth in the
North Atlantic, and the CO2 droplet seeps in the Okinawa Trough
at ~2000 m water depth. The first sedimentary CO2 seep was
discovered recently in the German sector of the North Sea. It is
located above the Juist Salt Dome at ~30 m water depth. Water
column imaging reveals a large number of gas flares emanating
from the seabed while chemical sensors have detected strong
acidification of ambient bottom waters proba