Abstract
Abstract Emissions estimates of anthropogenic methane (CH 4 ) sources are highly uncertain and many sources related to energy production are localized yet difficult to quantify. Airborne imaging spectrometers like the next generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) are well suited for locating CH 4 point sources due to their ability to map concentrations over large regions with the high spatial resolution necessary to resolve localized emissions. AVIRIS-NG was deployed during a field campaign to measure controlled CH 4 releases at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC) in Wyoming, U.S. for multiple flux rates and flight altitudes. Two algorithms were applied to AVIRIS-NG scenes, a matched filter detection algorithm and a hybrid retrieval approach using the Iterative Maximum a Posteriori Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (IMAP-DOAS) algorithm and Singular Value Decomposition. Plumes for releases as low as 14.16 m 3 /h (0.09 kt/year) were consistently observed by AVIRIS-NG at multiple flight altitudes and images of plumes were in agreement with wind directions measured at ground stations. In some cases plumes as low as 3.40 m 3 /h (0.02 kt/year) were detected, indicating that AVIRIS-NG has the capability of detecting a wide range of fugitive CH 4 source categories for natural gas fields. This controlled release experiment is the first of its kind using AVIRIS-NG and demonstrates the utility of imaging spectrometers for direct attribution of emissions to individual point source locations. This is particularly useful given the large uncertainties associated with anthropogenic CH 4 emissions, including those from industry, gas transmission lines, and the oil and gas sectors.
Accepted Version (
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