← Back to Sessions

Evaluating Seismic Hazards for Carbon Storage on the Scotian Shelf Offshore Nova Scotia

Description: 

Geological carbon sequestration is a critical strategy for mitigating global warming by reducing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Atlantic Canada has emerged as a promising region for offshore CO₂ storage, with an estimated storage capacity of ~177 Gt beneath the Scotian Shelf offshore NS. Although the Scotian Shelf is a low seismic hazard region, the potential for injection-induced seismicity cannot be overlooked. To quantify background seismicity across the Scotian Shelf, we deployed a temporary network of 19 ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) from the National Facility for Seismological Investigations during 2024-2025. The OBS array consisted of two linear deployments spanning ~500 km, with an inter-array spacing of ~50 km. The acquired waveform data is subjected to preliminary processing to inspect the clock offset using teleseismic events which found to be insignificant. Subsequently, we performed a machine learning based seismic phase picking, resulting in approximately 1.2 million S- and 0.5 million P-phase picks. Phase association was conducted using a local velocity model and picks with probability ≥ 0.3, yielding ~140 events. Following detailed visual inspection, poorly associated events were discarded, resulting in a high-quality dataset of ~90 events. Our results reveal pronounced spatial heterogeneity in background seismicity, with relatively elevated seismicity concentrated toward the SW termination of the shelf at shallow depths (~5–20 km), whereas relatively low seismicity is observed at the northern termination. This spatial variability suggests the presence of localized active seismogenic sources, while also indicating potentially lower-risk regions for CO₂ storage along the shelf, indicating a need of long-term seismic monitoring.

Session: Linking Subduction Zone Processes and Cascading Hazards in Alaska, Cascadia, Chile and Beyond [Poster]

Type: Poster

Date: 4/16/2026

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Adnan Barkat

Student Presenter: No

Invited Presentation: 

Poster Number: 122

Authors