Society for Freshwater Science (formerly NABS) will be held in Jacksonville, Fl May 19-23, 2013. We are organizing a special session on: Current and needed research on the impacts of unconventional oil and gas extraction on freshwater ecosystems. If you are conducting research in this area and have an interest in submitting an abstract please contact me at [email protected] or 501-450-5919. The formal call for abstracts is forthcoming and it will be posted at http://www.freshwater-science.org/. Expected due date for abstracts is late January or early February.
More session information and organizer contact information: Organizer(s): Sally Entrekin ([email protected]), Kelly Maloney ([email protected]), David Stagliano ([email protected]), Dave Penrose ([email protected]) Bulletin abstract: Extraction of natural gas from shale basins has rapidly increased in the U.S. due to continuing demands for energy coupled with technological advances in natural gas extraction practices. With 29 shale basins in the U.S. alone, shale-derived natural gas will be an important energy source into the future, but the environmental impacts to freshwater ecosystems remain uncertain. Potential impacts to freshwaters include sediment runoff during site preparation, surface and groundwater contamination as wells are drilled, fractured, and gas is being produced, and excessive water withdrawals. Infrastructure such as roads, well pads, and pipelines are required and can contribute sediment to nearby streams and rivers. Drilling and fracturing of shale with high-pressure water injections mixed with hydraulic fluids results in waste that can contaminate groundwater and surface waters. Taking of millions of gallons of water from local streams for hydraulic fracturing of wells, ponds, and groundwater can compromise waters supplies and exceed critical flows for aquatic biota, particularly during drought. Environmental threats of natural gas extraction on freshwaters are widely recognized by professionals, resource managers, and researchers, yet there continues to be a lack of data to guide extraction practices. This special session will assemble researchers studying the effects of natural gas development on freshwaters in shale basins from the U.S. and around the world.
