IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-52247-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Jared F. Brewer

    (and Climate)

  • Dylan B. Millet

    (and Climate)

  • Kelley C. Wells

    (and Climate)

  • Vivienne H. Payne

    (California Institute of Technology)

  • Susan Kulawik

    (BAER Institute)

  • Corinne Vigouroux

    (Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB))

  • Karen E. Cady-Pereira

    (Atmospheric and Environmental Research)

  • Rick Pernak

    (Atmospheric and Environmental Research)

  • Minqiang Zhou

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Jared F. Brewer & Dylan B. Millet & Kelley C. Wells & Vivienne H. Payne & Susan Kulawik & Corinne Vigouroux & Karen E. Cady-Pereira & Rick Pernak & Minqiang Zhou, 2024. "Space-based observations of tropospheric ethane map emissions from fossil fuel extraction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52247-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52247-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52247-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-52247-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Federico Maddanu & Tommaso Proietti, 2023. "Trends in atmospheric ethane," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(5), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Isobel J. Simpson & Mads P. Sulbaek Andersen & Simone Meinardi & Lori Bruhwiler & Nicola J. Blake & Detlev Helmig & F. Sherwood Rowland & Donald R. Blake, 2012. "Long-term decline of global atmospheric ethane concentrations and implications for methane," Nature, Nature, vol. 488(7412), pages 490-494, August.
    3. Kelley C. Wells & Dylan B. Millet & Vivienne H. Payne & M. Julian Deventer & Kelvin H. Bates & Joost A. Gouw & Martin Graus & Carsten Warneke & Armin Wisthaler & Jose D. Fuentes, 2020. "Satellite isoprene retrievals constrain emissions and atmospheric oxidation," Nature, Nature, vol. 585(7824), pages 225-233, September.
    4. Bruno Franco & Lieven Clarisse & Martin Van Damme & Juliette Hadji-Lazaro & Cathy Clerbaux & Pierre-François Coheur, 2022. "Ethylene industrial emitters seen from space," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Federico Maddanu & Tommaso Proietti, 2023. "Trends in atmospheric ethane," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(5), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Zhiyu Han & Yisheng Zhang & Houyong Zhang & Xuan Ge & Dasa Gu & Xiaohuan Liu & Jianhui Bai & Zizhen Ma & Yan Tan & Feng Zhu & Shiyong Xia & Jinhua Du & Yuran Tan & Xiao Shu & Jingchao Tang & Yingjie S, 2022. "Impacts of Drought and Rehydration Cycles on Isoprene Emissions in Populus nigra Seedlings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, November.
    3. Marina Friedrich & Eric Beutner & Hanno Reuvers & Stephan Smeekes & Jean-Pierre Urbain & Whitney Bader & Bruno Franco & Bernard Lejeune & Emmanuel Mahieu, 2020. "A statistical analysis of time trends in atmospheric ethane," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 105-125, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52247-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.