CCS Monitoring Synergies: Integrating Seismic and Environmental Campaigns for Cost Effectiveness

Ensuring conformance, containment, and environmental safety is essential for offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) acceptance. Yet, cost and complexity of repeated monitoring campaigns remain a major barrier. This paper outlines integration of field-proven seismic and environmental monitoring approaches simultaneously to reduce costs and environmental footprint while enhancing CCS marine monitoring safety through frequent surveillance. Plug & Play Seismic such as spot seismic methods (Morgan et al., 2020) have demonstrated offshore viability using containerised systems deployable from conventional supply vessels. At Denmark’s Greensand pilot in 2023, a compact 600 cui VSP source and seabed nodes tracked plume evolution with minimal impact (Szabados et al., 2023). At the UK’s Poseidon license in 2025, a 1000 cui source and interoperable nodes enabled agile spot seismic and VSP acquisition (Festucci et al., 2025). Plug & Play Environmental Monitoring approaches have been designed by CSIRO and tested in offshore Gippsland campaigns where deployed benthic sensors, water-column profilers, and autonomous vehicles were used to assess ecological impacts and validate CO₂ storage safety (CSIRO, 2020). Synergy via Vessel of Opportunity can support annual monitoring frequency, be cost-effective, lower emissions and add more data frequency. The equipment can co-exist on a single back-deck, yet campaigns are often planned separately. This paper describes benefits of simultaneous deployment, with spot seismic and environmental measurements on the same sortie, offering a cost-effective, regulation-compliant solution that provides environmental and operational assurance while building public trust. Future integration aims to deploy shared landers and environmental protocols informed by subsurface risk assessments.