Scientists have developed a method for detecting and tracking carbon dioxide deep underground, giving the federal government an important tool as scientists work on ways to keep carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from crowding the atmosphere, according to AP. Scientists working with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory used colorless, nontoxic liquids called perfluorocarbon tracers to essentially fingerprint carbon dioxide that was injected into a coal seam in northwestern New Mexico. They followed the carbon dioxide's movement by tracking the tracers. A physical scientist at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Brian Strazisar, says using the tracers will eliminate some of the uncertainty surrounding carbon capture and sequestration.
