This does not mean that additional reserves are not present, just that the size of the fields are smaller, and that greater human effort is required to discover and produce these reserves. Similarly, the exodus of the majors from the national landscape will forever alter the domestic oil and gas future, severing the pipeline which funneled research concepts, technology, and skilled personnel into the domestic industry. Unlike property maintenance, exploration is more labor intensive, involving regional applied research in trend development, and risking dry holes in the process of finding hydrocarbons. Time is required to develop these professionals. The Geosciences are technologically unique.
Many fields of study abound with professionals who made their mark early in their career.
But the Geosciences have a preponderance of individuals who impacted the profession at a more experienced and mature time in their careers. This reflects the Renaissance nature of the profession, combining and borrowing principles from other disciplines. The maturity and development necessary to better master a broad diversity of concepts, and to apply these concepts in the petroleum industry, requires the investment of time. Time is important because development opportunities may only come once. They are unique to the circumstances existing when the opportunity appears, and thus must be recognized when the opportunity is present.