A21A-0006
Benzene Variability in a Region of Oil and Gas Extraction in the DJ Basin During DISCOVER-AQ/FRAPPE 2014
Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Hannah Halliday1, Armin Wisthaler2, Anne M Thompson3, Tomas Mikoviny2 and Markus Müller4, (1)Pennsylvania State University Main Campus, University Park, PA, United States, (2)University of Oslo, Department of Chemistry, Oslo, Norway, (3)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (4)University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Abstract:
The 2014 DISCOVER-AQ/FRAPPE experiment was an opportunity for aircraft and ground-based sampling of trace gases in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. We measured volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS) in July and August of 2014 at NOAA's Platteville Atmospheric Observatory (40.1815 / -104.7268), a site in close proximity to multiple facilities for extraction, storage, transportation, processing and distribution of oil and gas. On selected days, continuous ground-based measurements were complemented by airborne PTR-MS measurements from NASA P-3B aircraft vertical profiles over Platteville. The spirals were further supported by pressurized canister samples analyzed by a GC-MS for a suite of VOCs. The data were used to characterize the variability of benzene at the collection site. Exceptionally high measurements of benzene from the southwest constrain a gas field benzene source that has been observed in previous studies. The chemistry at the site is heavily influenced by oil and gas activity, with local sources of benzene creating mixing ratios comparable to benzene measured over the Denver urban area.
