Atmospheric methane

About: Atmospheric methane is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2034 publications have been published within this topic receiving 119616 citations.

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic sources to atmospheric methane variations over western Siberia estimated from its carbon and hydrogen isotopes

Abstract: [1] Aircraft measurements of carbon and hydrogen isotopic ratios of atmospheric CH4 (δ13CH4 and δD-CH4), with the respective precisions of 0.08‰ and 2.2‰, as well as CH4 concentration were made at 1 and 2 km altitudes over western Siberia during 2006–2009. δ13CH4 and δD-CH4 were almost always lower at lower altitudes, while the CH4 concentration was higher, implying strong sources on the ground with low isotopic values. δ13CH4 showed a clear seasonal minimum in the late summer, while seasonality of CH4 and δD-CH4 was ambiguous due to the local disturbances. By inspecting the relationships between the CH4 concentration and isotopes, we found that isotopic source signatures in the winter (December–April) are −41.2 ± 1.8 and −187 ± 18‰ for δ13CH4 and δD-CH4, respectively, and the corresponding values in the summer (June–October) are −65.0 ± 2.5 and −282 ± 25‰. These values indicate predominant CH4emissions from fossil fuel facilities in the winter and wetlands in the summer. It was also found that the shorter-term CH4 variations are more influenced by fossil CH4 than that from wetlands. The finding presumably reflects the fact that the former is released from limited areas such as leakage from fossil fuel facilities, while the latter is released from a vast expanse of wetland. By employing a CH4 emission data set used in an atmospheric chemistry transport model, we calculated seasonal isotopic changes of CH4 sources in western Siberia and compared them to the estimates obtained in this study. The results indicated that the seasonal change in the CH4 emission data set is reasonable, at least in terms of a ratio of fossil to biogenic emissions.

Satellites Detect Abatable Super-Emissions in One of the World’s Largest Methane Hotspot Regions

Abstract: Reduction of fossil fuel-related methane emissions has been identified as an essential means for climate change mitigation, but emission source identification remains elusive for most oil and gas production basins in the world. We combine three complementary satellite data sets to survey single methane emission sources on the west coast of Turkmenistan, one of the largest methane hotspots in the world. We found 29 different emitters, with emission rates >1800 kg/h, active in the 2017–2020 time period, although older satellite data show that this type of emission has been occurring for decades. We find that all sources are linked to extraction fields mainly dedicated to crude oil production, where 24 of them are inactive flares venting gas. The analysis of time series suggests a causal relationship between the decrease in flaring and the increase in venting. At the regional level, 2020 shows a substantial increase in the number of methane plume detections concerning previous years. Our results suggest that these large venting point sources represent a key mitigation opportunity as they emanate from human-controlled facilities, and that new satellite methods promise a revolution in the detection and monitoring of methane point emissions worldwide.

Spatial variations in surface water methane super-saturation and emission in Lake Lugano, southern Switzerland

Abstract: We measured methane concentrations in the surface water of the northern basin of Lake Lugano in spring (May 2012) and autumn (October 2011, 2012), and calculated turbulent diffusive methane fluxes to the atmosphere. Surface water methane concentrations were highly variable in space and time but always exceeded atmospheric equilibrium. Methane concentrations were significantly lower in spring (on average 16 nmol L−1) than during the autumn sampling campaigns (on average 57 nmol L−1 in 2011 and 45 nmol L−1 in 2012). This suggests methane accumulation in the surface mixed layer during the summer productive season. The origin of the methane in the lake’s surface waters requires further assessment, but the observed concentration profiles indicate that the excess methane originates from a near-surface source, rather than from the large deep-water methane pool in the anoxic monimolimnion. As a consequence of the higher surface water methane concentrations and increased buoyancy turbulence caused by autumnal cooling of the surface boundary layer, diffusive fluxes were much higher in October (average ~97 μmol m−2 day−1, compared to 7 μmol m−2 day−1 in May 2012). The increase in methane concentration in the surface water between spring and autumn suggests links between methane accumulation and the annual biological cycle, yet seasonal changes in wind and temperature forcing of methane emission likely play an important modulating role. While the relative importance of biological versus physical controls on methane emission in Lake Lugano awaits further investigations, our study underscores that lakes can act as an important source of methane to the atmosphere, even when the lake-internal microbial methane filter in the water column seems to work efficiently.

A global climate model study of CH4 emissions during the Holocene and glacial-interglacial transitions constrained by ice core data

Abstract: [1] Ice core records show atmospheric methane mixing ratio and interpolar gradient varying with climate. Changes in wetland sources have been implicated as the basis for this observed variation in the record, but more recently, modeling studies suggest that changes in the CH4 sink resulting from changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and emissions of other volatile organic carbon (VOC) compounds by vegetation must also be considered. We use the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) General Circulation Model (GCM) with the GISS Tropospheric Chemistry Model to study the response of the methane mixing ratio to source changes during the Holocene and also to a changing chemical sink during glacial-interglacial transitions. We combine model results with ice core data to demonstrate a method that provides constraints on changes in northern and tropical methane sources. Results show that within the Holocene, changes in the atmospheric methane mixing ratio and latitudinal gradient are not linear with respect to changing methane emissions. Tropical and northern emissions varied from preindustrial levels by as much as 38% and 15%, respectively, within the Holocene. At glacial-interglacial transitions the methane mixing ratio is sensitive to changes in both VOC and tropical methane emissions and the sensitivity also depends strongly on the assumed SST shift. Our findings suggest that changes in the ice core methane record are likely the result of changes in both the source and the sink. Changes in the sink become especially important when changes in methane mixing ratio and/or climate are large.