A method of identifying in situ conditions of a hydrocarbon reservoir is disclosed. The method comprises, obtaining a sample from an area of interest, such as a sediment sample or water column sample near a hydrocarbon seep; analyzing the sample to detect lipid, protein, and/or nucleic acid signatures that are indicative of the Thermotogales order; identifying the relative abundance of the different genera and/or species of the Thermotogales present in the sample to generate a taxonomy signature of the sample; and then using the taxonomy signature to determine conditions, such as temperature, of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

Methods of natural gas production and carbon sequestration are provided. The method includes delivering a feedstock downhole to a coal reservoir, generating biogas within the coal reservoir, and harvesting the biogas. Another method for tracing the migration of biogas in a coal reservoir includes delivering a feedstock downhole to a coal reservoir, generating biogas that is isotopically differentiable from a background gas within the coal reservoir through microbial action, harvesting the biogas, analyzing the biogas from the coal reservoir at the injection well and at one or more offset wells within the same coal reservoir, detecting the biogas at the offset wells using isotopic differentiation, and mapping the migration of the biogas from the injection well to the offset wells using the biogas as an isotopic tracer.

A portable monitor used to measure landfill gas and landfill well parameters. The portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit that can communicate wirelessly with one another. The control unit and/or measuring unit can include a heating arrangement to increase the temperature of one or more components in the control unit and/or measuring unit in cold environments.

A method for modeling reservoir souring using object-oriented numerical solutions separate from reservoir topography is described. Specifically, flow physics are separated into one or more objects, along with one or more H.sub.2S generation mechanisms, for modeling on time and spatial scales separate from field scale modeling.

Gas migration rate(s) are determined using gas measurements from gas migration measurement devices. In response to the gas migration rate increasing at greater than a first rate: air ionization measurements are collected from: remote sensing air ionization measurement device(s), meteorological measurements collected from air temperature sensor(s) and relative humidity sensor(s). A latent heat energy release rate is determined using at least two of: the air ionization measurements; the meteorological measurements; and a numerical assimilation model. In response to the latent heat energy release rate increasing at greater than a second rate, transient OLR anomaly are looked for using atmospheric measurements. In response to observing the transient OLR, ionospheric anomal(ies) are looked for using ionosphere measurements collected over a fourth period of time. In response to observing the at least one ionospheric anomaly, a forecast alert that an earthquake is likely to occur within one to four days is generated.

A method of identifying in situ conditions of a hydrocarbon reservoir is disclosed. The method comprises, obtaining a sample from an area of interest, such as a sediment sample or water column sample near a hydrocarbon seep; analyzing the sample to detect nucleic acid signatures that are indicative of microbes associated with hypersaline aquifers; and using the signature to determine the salinity of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

Methods and systems for locating a chemical source include cross-correlating chemical concentration data from pairs of positions using a processor to determine an average velocity vector for a group of positions that averages away turbulence contributions. A convergence region is determined based on multiple average velocity vectors to determine a chemical source location.

A system and method is provided for enhancing hydrocarbon production. The method and system involve geochemistry analysis and include multiply substituted isotopologue and position specific isotope geochemistry for at least one hydrocarbon compound of interest associated with free gas and sorbed gas. The method and system involve using clumped isotope and position specific isotope signatures to enhance monitoring of well and stimulation performance.

A method is disclosed for determining a presence, type, quality and/or volume of a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation from a sample related thereto. The method may include obtaining sample data associated with a subsurface hydrocarbon accumulation, wherein the sample data includes a noble gas signature, a clumped isotope signature and/or a ecology signature. From the signatures, relationships between the noble gas signature; the clumped isotope signature and the ecology signature are identified and stored in memory.

A portable monitor used to measure landfill gas and landfill well parameters. The portable monitor includes a control unit and a measuring unit that can communicate wirelessly with one another. The control unit and/or measuring unit can include a heating arrangement to increase the temperature of one or more components in the control unit and/or measuring unit in cold environments.