Climate Change

XI. Methane Emissions

Bezos’ Blue Origin Methane Emissions Were Spotted by the Space Station
August 21, 2023
Bloomberg
A plume of the greenhouse gas from the billionaire’s rocket site was detected by an instrument on board the International Space Station. Click here 

A Texas Dairy Ranks Among the State’s Biggest Methane Emitters. But Don’t Ask the EPA or the State About It
August 18, 2023
Inside Climate News
An analysis by Inside Climate News, building on work by Climate TRACE, shows that tracking cattle emissions, site by site, is doable. But government databases specifically exempt agricultural operations from their greenhouse gas accounting. Click here

Stanford-led study: Methane leaks are far worse than estimates, at least in New Mexico, but there’s hope
March 24, 2022
Stanford News Service
The amount of methane – a greenhouse gas 30 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over 100 years – leaking from a huge U.S. oil and gas-producing region is several times greater than the federal government estimates, according to a new study led by Stanford University. Click here

Quantifying Regional Methane Emissions in the New Mexico Permian Basin with a Comprehensive Aerial Survey
2022
Environmental Science & Technology
Limiting emissions of climate-warming methane from oil and gas (O&G) is a major opportunity for short-term climate benefits. We deploy a basin-wide airborne survey of O&G extraction and transportation activities in the New Mexico Permian Basin, spanning 35 923 km2, 26 292 active wells, and over 15 000 km of natural gas pipelines using an independently validated hyperspectral methane point source detection and quantification system. Click here

The Global Methane Budget
2020
Earth System Science Data
Understanding and quantifying the global methane (CH4) budget is important for assessing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. Atmospheric emissions and concentrations of CH4 continue to increase, making CH4 the second most important human-influenced greenhouse gas in terms of climate forcing, after carbon dioxide (CO2). Click here

Projecting the Temporal Evolution of Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Production Sites
2020
ACSPublications
Many recent studies have reported methane emissions from oil and gas production regions, often reporting results as a methane emission intensity (methane emitted as a percentage of natural gas produced or methane produced). Almost all of these studies have been instantaneous snapshots of methane emissions; however, total methane emissions from a production site and the methane emission intensity would be expected to evolve over time. Click here

Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain
July 13, 2018
Science.org
Methane emissions from the U.S. oil and natural gas supply chain were estimated by using ground-based, facility-scale measurements and validated with aircraft observations in areas accounting for ~30% of U.S. gas production. Click here