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DPA-Related Articles

Explorer Article By Gretchen Gillis,Steven Goolsby

The AAPG Advisory Council is entrusted with matters involving ethics and discipline, long-range planning, constitutional review, nominations for officers and honors and awards and other special projects as requested by the Executive Committee. That long-range planning piece is very important, yet easily lost in the flurry of nominations and honors and awards. Fortunately, under the leadership of past presidents Rick Fritz, Mike Party and Denise Cox, the AC is examining the status of geoscientists and how they are viewed within the industry and by the public, the future of petroleum and energy, and the future for geoscientists.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Article By Ken Milam

Examining the Unintended Consequences of Energy Transition

The global shift from greenhouse gas-intense, carbon-based fuels toward alternative energy sources and technologies sometimes produces unintended negative impacts. Experts at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin are mounting a major study of these effects – the Comparing Electricity Options research consortium – with the intention of helping to identify and mitigate such unintended outcomes.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

The Offshore Technology Conference is Back

In February, TotalEnergies announced a significant light oil discovery in the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. Reuters reported a source suggesting that the Venus-X1 well may have found more than 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent. This was the second significant discovery announced in the basin that month. The offshore continues to deliver new oil and natural gas discoveries worldwide. And as this issue hits your inbox, the offshore is the primary topic of discussion in Houston as the 2022 Offshore Technology Conference returns to NRG Park from May 2-5.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Foundation Update By Vern Stefanic

UTD GSS: Telling the Story of the Geosciences

Geoscience education is essential to the AAPG Foundation. In fact, it’s promised right there in the Foundation’s mission statement, to “… support(ing) education and scientific activities in the field of geology.” Also crucial to the Foundation: engaging and informing the general public about the importance of energy, geology and the world in which we all reside. That’s why there are many, many Foundation programs supporting all those goals. But some Foundation-backed projects exist to do both at the same time – and one, in particular, is making a big impact on both students and the public by merging geology, geosciences and video production techniques into one informative, often timely and always accessible package.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer President’s Column By Gretchen Gillis

Making a Difference for People Who Are Different

Listening to “King of the Mountain” by Midnight Oil, a song about a foot race up the wickedly steep Mount Cooroora in Australia, prompted me to think about whether it is good to be the king, or to be in a position to just help others get to the top of the mountain. We do not need royal powers or superhuman running ability to make a difference for people participating in AAPG activities. Making a difference can be much simpler and just requires the will to make the climb and help others along the way.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Readers Forum By Dan Billman

Rudeness versus Unethical Behavior: Where’s the Line?

Supposedly Walt Disney said, “I don’t know if it is art, but I know I like it.” I am reminded of this quote and feel the need to paraphrase it: “I don’t know if it is rude (or worse), but I know I don’t like it.” I think we’d all agree that we live in an amazing time – the Digital Age. With a few keystrokes we can communicate, almost instantly, with friends and colleagues next door or halfway around the world. I think we’d also agree that sometimes non-face-to-face discussions can lead to communication that is not always well thought out, complete and properly tempered. Also, non-face-to-face communications sometimes loses the nuances of facial and physical gestures.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Readers Forum By William Houston

AAPG Bylaws Fundamentals: What is the Ethics Committee For?

Upon acceptance into the membership of AAPG, all members are obliged to follow the AAPG Constitution and Bylaws in matters of Association business, professional conduct and personal decorum. The AAPG Ethics Committee is a standing committee composed of five members appointed by the Executive Committee. The committee is charged with evaluating and recommending improvements to matters of AAPG ethics and discipline, providing general advice on professional behaviors and receiving and evaluating ethics complaints submitted by members.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Article By Charles Sternbach,John Casiano,Kristie Luchtel-Ferguson,William DeMis

Destroying the Environment to Save It

In the first part of this series, we showed the energy transition will follow an “all of the above” trajectory, irrespective of aspirational messages. Our conclusions are based on the inherent limitations of wind and solar low-density energy machines for generating base-load power: low-density energy machines would cover hundreds of millions of acres. Also in part 1, we discussed Princeton University’s Net Zero America report, an outstanding, 18-author study of five models to de-carbonize the United States by 2050. The report does not mention environmental impact of LDEMs.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Article By Heather Saucier

Demands for Geoscience Beyond Oil and Gas

While it is evident that the world will rely on oil and gas for years to come, some industry geoscientists are paving a path toward a future in alternative energy and other geoscience-related careers. Geoscientists are needed for research and development in areas of geothermal science, minerals and mining, and carbon and energy storage. They also are needed for projects that require knowledge of geology, subsurface imaging, reservoir development, satellite mapping, geotraining, multiphysics and smart data solutions.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Explorer Emphasis Article By David Brown

Upstream Oil and Gas: Now Hiring

What seemed like excellent news for the oil and gas jobs outlook turned into something less positive for companies in the first months of 2022. Hiring increased, but a few areas saw more openings than applicants. However, job hunters and even those already employed in oil and gas got some welcome security and relief, as recent cycles of industry layoffs finally turned into a round of rehires and new hires. Analysts expect this job growth to continue for the foreseeable future.

Added on 01 May, 2022

Hot Items

Explorer Article By Barry Friedman

How the U Adds Value in CCUS

Carbon capture and sequestration reduces emissions, but it cannot work past cost barriers without the revenue opportunities provided by utilization and storage.

Added on 01 March, 2024

Explorer Director’s Corner By David Curtiss

Introducing the New EXPLORER, New Digital Newsletters

Perhaps you did a double take pulling the April issue of EXPLORER from the mailbox. What is this? If you joined AAPG in the last 40 years, you’ve only known EXPLORER in its long-standing tabloid format. It worked well for many years as our advertisers – particularly seismic companies – loved the large format and the ability to display their data on a sweeping canvas. For readers, it was a little more awkward.

Added on 01 April, 2024

Explorer Article By David Brown

What Will it Take to Get CCUS Ready for Prime Time?

Nihal Darraj, carbon capture and storage researcher at Imperial College, London shares barriers to CCUS commercialization, including costs, technology, permitting and more.

Added on 01 March, 2024