• Massive methane emissions by oil and gas

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Feb 3 21:30:42 2022
    Massive methane emissions by oil and gas industry detected from space


    Date:
    February 3, 2022
    Source:
    CNRS
    Summary:
    For the first time ever on a global scale, using satellite imagery,
    scientists have quantified volumes of massive methane emissions
    due to fossil-fuel extraction activities and their impact on the
    climate. Their findings partly explain why official inventories
    generally underestimate the volume of these emissions. Stopping
    these releases, be they accidental or deliberate, would save those
    countries responsible billions of dollars.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    An international study involving CNRS and CEA researchers and the company Kayrros has uncovered hundreds of major methane releases linked to global
    oil and gas extraction activities. The team of scientists has shown that limiting volumes released would mitigate climate effects and save money -- billions of dollars for the main fossil-fuel-producing countries. Their
    study is published in Science (4 February 2022).


    ==========================================================================
    A major contributor to climate change, methane (CH4) has a global warming potential approximately 30 times higher than that of CO2, over a 100-year period. One quarter of anthropogenic emissions of this greenhouse gas
    originate in worldwide extraction of coal, oil, and natural gas (of
    which methane is the main component). A study in 2018 already revealed
    that official US inventories greatly underestimated actual emissions
    from oil and gas extraction and distribution activities.1 The observed discrepancy is apparently due to undeclared sporadic releases of large quantities of methane by industry operators.

    An international research team led by the Laboratoire des Sciences
    du Climat et de l'Environnement (CNRS / CEA / UVSQ), in cooperation
    with the firm Kayrros,2 have achieved a world first by completing a
    global tally of the largest emissions of methane into the atmosphere
    by the fossil-fuel industry. These may be accidental or the result
    of intentional venting associated with maintenance operations, which
    account for very large releases. To obtain their data, the researchers methodically analysed thousands of daily images generated by the ESA's Sentinel-5P satellite over a two-year period. This allowed them to map
    1,800 methane plumes around the globe, of which 1,200 were attributed
    to fossil-fuel extraction. They deem the impact of such releases on
    the climate comparable to that of 20 million vehicles on the road for
    one year.

    These emissions account for 10% of the total estimate for the
    industry. Yet they are just the tip of the iceberg because the satellite
    is only able to routinely detect the biggest plumes (>25 tonnes per
    hour of CH4), which are also the most intermittent.3 The researchers demonstrate that these massive releases of methane are not randomly
    located but always appear over particular oil and gas extraction
    sites. As borne out by observations of these releases, whose volumes
    depend on maintenance protocols and diligence in the repair of leaks,
    the rules implemented by states and businesses play a major role.

    But would preventing these emissions be so costly to oil and gas operators
    that they prefer to pursue their current practices? By taking into account
    the underlying social costs related to climate change and air quality,
    as well as the monetary value of gas wasted, the study actually shows
    that limiting them would yield billions of dollars in net savings for
    the countries in question.

    It emphasizes the need for a reliable atmospheric monitoring system to thoroughly track emissions and estimate the impact of local measures
    aimed at abatement.

    Notes 1 Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply
    chain. R. A.

    Alvarez et al., Science, 2018. DOI: 10.1126/science.aar7204 2 This study
    also involved researchers from the De'partement d'Informatique de l'E'cole Normale Supe'rieure (CNRS/ENS-PSL/Inria) in France; Duke University, the University of Arizona and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL-Caltech)
    in the US.

    3Smaller-scale methane emissions invisible to the Sentinel-5P have been observed over certain regions at a higher resolution -- via airborne
    remote- sensing campaigns, for example.

    special promotion Explore the latest scientific research on sleep and
    dreams in this free online course from New Scientist -- Sign_up_now_>>> ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by CNRS. Note: Content may be edited
    for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Related Multimedia:
    *
    Map_of_main_gas_pipelines_and_sources_of_methane_emissions_related_to_oil
    and_gas_industry_operations ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. T. Lauvaux, C. Giron, M. Mazzolini, A. d'Aspremont, R. Duren, D.

    Cusworth, D. Shindell, P. Ciais. Global assessment of oil and
    gas methane ultra-emitters. Science, 2022; 375 (6580): 557 DOI:
    10.1126/ science.abj4351 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220203161130.htm

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