|
A Symposium at the Eleventh Annual V. M. Goldschmidt Conference, May 20-24, 2001, Hot Springs, Virginia, USA The energy sources with major geochemical vectors are fossil, geothermal and nuclear. It has become apparent that continued reliance on fossil fuels as the world's major energy source involves societal and environmental consequences that may not prove acceptable, even if supplies remain plentiful and affordable. Nuclear energy utilization is primarily limited by public perception of the environmental hazards associated with power plant operations and disposal/treatment of spent fuel. Geothermal energy utilization is limited by the low cost of other fuel sources, but also by technological challenges associated with exploration, reservoir dynamics, and production. In the 21st Century, geochemical and biogeochemical research will contribute fundamentally and critically to these issues. We encourage contributions on global warming, acid rain and mine drainage, ocean and subsurface carbon sequestration, active and fossil geothermal systems, geothermal production problems (scaling, acid volatiles, reinjection, etc.), and radioactive contaminant migration (waste form stabilities, vadose zone and groundwater transport, remediation, etc.). Keynote speakers will include Wallace S. Broecker of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who will address the fossil fuel impacts on global climate change, Donald Langmuir of the Colorado School of Mines (Emeritus), who will discuss various aspects of the geochemistry of nuclear waste storage-disposal-remediation, and Marshall J. Reed of the U.S. Department of Energy, who will provide an overview of the technological challenges facing the geothermal industry. Those interested in participating should submit an abstract by the February deadlines, as detailed in the Goldschmidt website (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/gold2001/) The organizers, D.J. Wesolowski (email: wesolowskid@ornl.gov) and D.R. Cole (email: coledr@ornl.gov), (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA) would very much appreciate a note indicating your intention to participate.
|