Closing the methane gap in US oil and natural gas production emissions inventories

Jeffrey S. Rutherford, Evan D. Sherwin, Arvind P. Ravikumar, Garvin A. Heath, Jacob Englander, Daniel Cooley, David Lyon, Mark Omara, Quinn Langfitt and Adam R. Brandt ()
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Jeffrey S. Rutherford: Stanford University
Evan D. Sherwin: Stanford University
Arvind P. Ravikumar: Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
Garvin A. Heath: Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA), National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Jacob Englander: California Air Resources Board
Daniel Cooley: Colorado State University
David Lyon: Environmental Defense Fund
Mark Omara: Environmental Defense Fund
Quinn Langfitt: California Air Resources Board
Adam R. Brandt: Stanford University

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Methane (CH4) emissions from oil and natural gas (O&NG) systems are an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, recent synthesis studies of field measurements of CH4 emissions at different spatial scales are ~1.5–2× greater compared to official greenhouse gas inventory (GHGI) estimates, with the production-segment as the dominant contributor to this divergence. Based on an updated synthesis of measurements from component-level field studies, we develop a new inventory-based model for CH4 emissions, for the production-segment only, that agrees within error with recent syntheses of site-level field studies and allows for isolation of equipment-level contributions. We find that unintentional emissions from liquid storage tanks and other equipment leaks are the largest contributors to divergence with the GHGI. If our proposed method were adopted in the United States and other jurisdictions, inventory estimates could better guide CH4 mitigation policy priorities.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25017-4

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