Spectral detection of ethane in radiances measured by the transverse infrared sounder (CrIS). The plots are (A) Carbon monoxide (CO) columns CrIS, b ethane hyperspectral range indices (HRI) and (c) Ethane brightness temperature differences for a fire plume over the South Pacific on January 2, 2020. All quantities are normalized and filtered for clouds using the 900 cm method−1 Skin surface brightness/temperature difference. CrIS data presented are primarily from granule 13, with additional data from granules 12, 14, 29, 232, 233, and 234. Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52247-z
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a new tool to measure ethane from space, providing insight into global fossil fuel emissions. Ethane is commonly found in natural gas and is primarily used in plastics.
Recently published in Nature CommunicationsThe team used measurements from a satellite-based instrument to detect how infrared radiation emitted by Earth passes through the atmosphere and escapes into space. Some of this radiation is absorbed by gases in Earth’s atmosphere, allowing the abundance of these gases to be quantified.
“Oil and gas extraction degrades air quality and contributes to global warming. Diagnosing and mitigating these impacts requires precise knowledge of the underlying emissions,” said Dylan Millet, co-author of the study and professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). “However, this is difficult because of the lack of measurements and because many key pollutants have other sources that are difficult to distinguish from oil and gas emissions.”
The team used a machine learning algorithm to determine atmospheric ethane concentrations based on satellite measurements, then used the results to map ethane across major oil and gas basins around the world.
They found:
- The Permian Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico has the highest persistent ethane signals on the planet.
- This basin alone accounts for at least 4 to 7% of all fossil ethane sources worldwide.
- Analysis of observations shows that ethane emissions from the Permian are currently underestimated by seven times.
This research is a first step toward using satellite measurements to track atmospheric ethane emissions. Tools are planned to ensure continuity of measurements into the 2030s and the ability to map changes in fossil fuel emissions over time. Additional instruments are planned to be launched into geostationary orbits, which will provide hourly (rather than daily) observations and finer-scale information to better understand and reduce air pollutant emissions.
“We’ve known for some time that our current estimates of ethane emissions are too low, and this new tool allows us to see where these missing emissions are likely coming from around the planet. The Permian Basin is the most obvious ethane emitter in our dataset, but we can see fossil fuel emissions all over the world and we’ll be looking at those sources as well in the near future,” said lead author Jared Brewer, a postdoctoral associate at CFANS.
More information:
Jared F. Brewer et al., Space-based observations of tropospheric ethane emissions from fossil fuel extraction, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52247-z
Provided by the University of Minnesota
Quote: Team develops new tool to map fossil fuel emissions from space (2024, September 11) retrieved September 11, 2024 from
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