Top-down methane emissions estimates for the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2012
Abstract
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that is now included in both California State and San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) bottom-up emission inventories as part of California's effort to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions. Here we provide a top-down estimate of methane (CH4) emissions from the SFBA by combining atmospheric measurements with the comparatively better estimated emission inventory for carbon monoxide (CO). Local enhancements of CH4 and CO are estimated using measurements from 14 air quality sites in the SFBA combined together with global background measurements. Mean annual CH4 emissions are estimated from the product of Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) emission inventory CO and the slope of ambient local CH4 to CO. The resulting top-down estimates of CH4 emissions are found to decrease slightly from 1990 to 2012, with a mean value of 240 ± 60 GgCH4 yr⁻¹ (at 95% confidence) in the most recent (2009–2012) period, and correspond to reasonably a constant factor of 1.5–2.0 (at 95% confidence) times larger than the BAAQMD CH4 emission inventory. However, we note that uncertainty in these emission estimates is dominated by the variation in CH4:CO enhancement ratios across the observing sites and we expect the estimates could represent amore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 2325268
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1208641
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article: Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Atmospheric Environment (1994)
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Atmospheric Environment (1994) Journal Volume: 107 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1352-2310
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; methane emissions; emissions inventory; greenhouse gas; inventory verification; top-down estimates
Citation Formats
Fairley, David, and Fischer, Marc L. Top-down methane emissions estimates for the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2012. United Kingdom: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.065.
Fairley, David, & Fischer, Marc L. Top-down methane emissions estimates for the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2012. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.065
Fairley, David, and Fischer, Marc L. 2015.
"Top-down methane emissions estimates for the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2012". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.065.
@article{osti_2325268,
title = {Top-down methane emissions estimates for the San Francisco Bay Area from 1990 to 2012},
author = {Fairley, David and Fischer, Marc L.},
abstractNote = {Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that is now included in both California State and San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) bottom-up emission inventories as part of California's effort to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions. Here we provide a top-down estimate of methane (CH4) emissions from the SFBA by combining atmospheric measurements with the comparatively better estimated emission inventory for carbon monoxide (CO). Local enhancements of CH4 and CO are estimated using measurements from 14 air quality sites in the SFBA combined together with global background measurements. Mean annual CH4 emissions are estimated from the product of Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) emission inventory CO and the slope of ambient local CH4 to CO. The resulting top-down estimates of CH4 emissions are found to decrease slightly from 1990 to 2012, with a mean value of 240 ± 60 GgCH4 yr⁻¹ (at 95% confidence) in the most recent (2009–2012) period, and correspond to reasonably a constant factor of 1.5–2.0 (at 95% confidence) times larger than the BAAQMD CH4 emission inventory. However, we note that uncertainty in these emission estimates is dominated by the variation in CH4:CO enhancement ratios across the observing sites and we expect the estimates could represent a lower-limit on CH4 emissions because BAAQMD monitoring sites focus on urban air quality and may be biased toward CO rather than CH4 sources.},
doi = {10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.01.065},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2325268},
journal = {Atmospheric Environment (1994)},
issn = {1352-2310},
number = C,
volume = 107,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Methane emissions inventory verification in southern California
journal, January 2010
- Hsu, Ying-Kuang; VanCuren, Tony; Park, Seong
- Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 44, Issue 1
Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the United States
journal, November 2013
- Miller, S. M.; Wofsy, S. C.; Michalak, A. M.
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 110, Issue 50
Pollution influences on atmospheric composition and chemistry at high northern latitudes: Boreal and California forest fire emissions
journal, November 2010
- Singh, H. B.; Anderson, B. E.; Brune, W. H.
- Atmospheric Environment, Vol. 44, Issue 36
A multitower measurement network estimate of California's methane emissions: CALIFORNIA'S METHANE EMISSIONS
journal, October 2013
- Jeong, Seongeun; Hsu, Ying-Kuang; Andrews, Arlyn E.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 19
Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems
journal, February 2014
- Brandt, A. R.; Heath, G. A.; Kort, E. A.
- Science, Vol. 343, Issue 6172
Quantifying sources of methane using light alkanes in the Los Angeles basin, California: SOURCES OF METHANE IN L.A.
journal, May 2013
- Peischl, J.; Ryerson, T. B.; Brioude, J.
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 118, Issue 10
On the Sources of Methane to the Los Angeles Atmosphere
journal, August 2012
- Wennberg, Paul O.; Mui, Wilton; Wunch, Debra
- Environmental Science & Technology, Vol. 46, Issue 17