Space-based observations of tropospheric ethane map emissions from fossil fuel extraction

Jared F. Brewer, Dylan B. Millet, Kelley C. Wells, Vivienne H. Payne, Susan Kulawik, Corinne Vigouroux, Karen E. Cady-Pereira, Rick Pernak, Minqiang Zhou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Ethane is the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon in the troposphere, where it impacts ozone and reactive nitrogen and is a key tracer used for partitioning emitted methane between anthropogenic and natural sources. However, quantification has been challenged by sparse observations. Here, we present a satellite-based measurement of tropospheric ethane and demonstrate its utility for fossil-fuel source quantification. An ethane spectral signal is detectable from space in Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) radiances, revealing ethane signatures associated with fires and fossil fuel production. We use machine-learning to convert these signals to ethane abundances and validate the results against surface observations (R2 = 0.66, mean CrIS/surface ratio: 0.65). The CrIS data show that the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico exhibits the largest persistent ethane enhancements on the planet, with regional emissions underestimated by seven-fold. Correcting this underestimate reveals Permian ethane emissions that represent at least 4-7% of the global fossil-fuel ethane source.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number7829
JournalNature communications
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2024

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Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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