A11M-0243
Characterization of the Spatial Variability of Methane, Ozone, and Carbon Dioxide in Two Oil and Gas Production Basins Via a Spatial Grid of Continuous Measurements
Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Joanna Gordon Casey1, Ashley Monika Collier1, Michael Hannigan1, Ricardo Piedrahita1, Bruce H Vaughn2, Owen Sherwood3 and Gabrielle Petron4, (1)University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)University of Colorado at Boulder, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)CIRES, Boulder, CO, United States
Abstract:
In recent years, aided by the advent of horizontal drilling used in conjunction with hydraulic fracturing, oil and gas production in basins around the United States has increased significantly. A study was conducted in two oil and gas basins during the spring and summer of 2015 to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of several atmospheric trace gases that can be influenced by oil and gas extraction including methane, ozone, and carbon dioxide. Fifteen air quality monitors were distributed across the Denver Julesburg Basin in Northeast Colorado, and the San Juan Basin, which stretches from Southwest Colorado into Northwest New Mexico in Four Corners Region. Spatial variability in ozone was observed across each basin. The presence of dynamic short-term trends observed in the mole fraction of methane and carbon dioxide indicate the extent to which each site is uniquely impacted by local emission sources. Diurnal trends of these two constituents lead toward a better understanding of local pooling of emissions that can be influenced by topography, the planetary boundary layer height, atmospheric stability, as well as the composition and flux of local and regional emissions sources.
