WVU Physics student awarded scholarship for work on possible solution to Global Warming

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Sept. 12, 2007: The solution to global warming may lie under the sea. Adam Jozwick, West Virginia University physics student, was recently awarded a $10,000 National Consortium for Measure and Signatures Intelligence Research (NCMR) Program Scholarship for his work on predicting feasible methods of relocating greenhouse gases from the atmosphere into the Earth’s sub-layer, a process that could prove to be a solution to global warming.

In collaboration with Dr. Martin Ferer, Professor of Physics in WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and with scientists and engineers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Jozwick has been developing realistic models of carbon dioxide storage below the Earth’s surface.

Ferer and Jozwick analyze the sub-surface fracture networks and determine if the injected CO2 will bubble to the surface in the future. The goal of sequestration, or the process of capturing and storing greenhouse gases, is to develop a method that will allow the injected CO2 to dissolve and mix with underground chemicals, and eventually mineralize into the Earth’s sub-layers. The result could permanently alleviate the strain of greenhouse gases on the environment, and produce a source for the future recovery of natural gas.

According to the NETL website, with the development of the right sub-surface fracture network, “it is likely that we would run out of coal before we run out of places to store the CO2 its combustion creates.” In 2005, the United States emitted 6.1 billion tons of CO2 (see NETL article).

“The solution to global warming will require a number of methods to reduce greenhouse gases in our atmosphere,” explained Dr. Martin Ferer. “One promising approach is the stable underground storage of these gases, which Norway has successfully utilized for decades to store carbon dioxide under the floor of the North Sea.”

Dr. Martin Ferer earned a B.S. from the University of Detroit in 1966 and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1972. He develops fine-scale models of complex phenomena relevant to applied problems. He has published various articles and studies on topics including the spatial distribution of avalanches, and 2-D model simulations of drainage in non-porous media.

“Since I started working with Dr. Ferer last January, I have learned the importance of computers in modern physics and how to use physical laws to create realistic models,” Adam Jozwick said.

Adam Jozwick, a native of Doddridge County, W.Va., is expected to graduate in May 2008 with a BS in physics from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at WVU. He hopes to attend graduate school in the future.

“Adam’s near-perfect academic record in our physics courses speaks well of his work ethic and dedication to his discipline, and I would expect him to do quite well in either graduate school or an industrial position after graduation,” said Dr. Earl Scime, Professor and Chair of Physics at WVU.

The NCMR Program Scholarship, supported by the National Science Foundation, is designed to assist the student with tuition, textbooks, and room and board.

The NETL article is available at http://www.netl.doe.gov/newsroom/features/08-2007.html. For more information, please contact Dr. Martin Ferer at Martin.Ferer@mail.wvu.edu or Dr. Earl Scime at Earl.Scime@mail.wvu.edu.

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