Atmospheric Methane Emissions Correlate With Natural Gas Consumption From Residential and Commercial Sectors in Los Angeles

Liyin He; Zhao Cheng Zeng; Thomas J. Pongetti; Clare Wong; Jianming Liang; Kevin R. Gurney; Sally Newman; Vineet Yadav; Kristal Verhulst; Charles E. Miller; Riley Duren; Christian Frankenberg; Paul O. Wennberg; Run Lie Shia; Yuk L. Yung; Stanley P. Sander

doi:10.1029/2019GL083400

Atmospheric Methane Emissions Correlate With Natural Gas Consumption From Residential and Commercial Sectors in Los Angeles

Liyin He, Zhao Cheng Zeng, Thomas J. Pongetti, Clare Wong, Jianming Liang, Kevin R. Gurney, Sally Newman, Vineet Yadav, Kristal Verhulst, Charles E. Miller, Riley Duren, Christian Frankenberg, Paul O. Wennberg, Run Lie Shia, Yuk L. Yung, Stanley P. Sander

Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, School of

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Legislation in the State of California mandates reductions in emissions of short-lived climate pollutants of 40% from 2013 levels by 2030 for CH₄. Identification of the sector(s) responsible for these emissions and their temporal and spatial variability is a key step in achieving these goals. Here, we determine the emissions of CH₄ in Los Angeles from 2011–2017 using a mountaintop remote sensing mapping spectrometer. We show that the pattern of CH₄ emissions contains both seasonal and nonseasonal contributions. We find that the seasonal component peaks in the winter and is correlated (R² = 0.58) with utility natural gas consumption from the residential and commercial sectors and not from the industrial and gas-fired power plant sectors. The nonseasonal component is (22.9 ± 1.4) Gg CH₄/month. If the seasonal correlation is causal, about (1.4 ± 0.1)% of the commercial and residential natural gas consumption in Los Angeles is released into the atmosphere.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	8563-8571
Number of pages	9
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	46
Issue number	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083400
State	Published - 2019

Keywords

greenhouse gas
methane emissions
natural gas leakage
urban pollution

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1029/2019GL083400

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He, L., Zeng, Z. C., Pongetti, T. J., Wong, C., Liang, J., Gurney, K. R., Newman, S., Yadav, V., Verhulst, K., Miller, C. E., Duren, R., Frankenberg, C., Wennberg, P. O., Shia, R. L., Yung, Y. L., & Sander, S. P. (2019). Atmospheric Methane Emissions Correlate With Natural Gas Consumption From Residential and Commercial Sectors in Los Angeles. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(14), 8563-8571. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083400

He, L, Zeng, ZC, Pongetti, TJ, Wong, C, Liang, J, Gurney, KR, Newman, S, Yadav, V, Verhulst, K, Miller, CE, Duren, R, Frankenberg, C, Wennberg, PO, Shia, RL, Yung, YL & Sander, SP 2019, 'Atmospheric Methane Emissions Correlate With Natural Gas Consumption From Residential and Commercial Sectors in Los Angeles', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 46, no. 14, pp. 8563-8571. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083400

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abstract = "Legislation in the State of California mandates reductions in emissions of short-lived climate pollutants of 40% from 2013 levels by 2030 for CH4. Identification of the sector(s) responsible for these emissions and their temporal and spatial variability is a key step in achieving these goals. Here, we determine the emissions of CH4 in Los Angeles from 2011–2017 using a mountaintop remote sensing mapping spectrometer. We show that the pattern of CH4 emissions contains both seasonal and nonseasonal contributions. We find that the seasonal component peaks in the winter and is correlated (R2 = 0.58) with utility natural gas consumption from the residential and commercial sectors and not from the industrial and gas-fired power plant sectors. The nonseasonal component is (22.9 ± 1.4) Gg CH4/month. If the seasonal correlation is causal, about (1.4 ± 0.1)% of the commercial and residential natural gas consumption in Los Angeles is released into the atmosphere.",

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author = "Liyin He and Zeng, {Zhao Cheng} and Pongetti, {Thomas J.} and Clare Wong and Jianming Liang and Gurney, {Kevin R.} and Sally Newman and Vineet Yadav and Kristal Verhulst and Miller, {Charles E.} and Riley Duren and Christian Frankenberg and Wennberg, {Paul O.} and Shia, {Run Lie} and Yung, {Yuk L.} and Sander, {Stanley P.}",

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AU - He, Liyin

AU - Zeng, Zhao Cheng

AU - Pongetti, Thomas J.

AU - Wong, Clare

AU - Liang, Jianming

AU - Gurney, Kevin R.

AU - Newman, Sally

AU - Yadav, Vineet

AU - Verhulst, Kristal

AU - Miller, Charles E.

AU - Duren, Riley

AU - Frankenberg, Christian

AU - Wennberg, Paul O.

AU - Shia, Run Lie

AU - Yung, Yuk L.

AU - Sander, Stanley P.

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Legislation in the State of California mandates reductions in emissions of short-lived climate pollutants of 40% from 2013 levels by 2030 for CH4. Identification of the sector(s) responsible for these emissions and their temporal and spatial variability is a key step in achieving these goals. Here, we determine the emissions of CH4 in Los Angeles from 2011–2017 using a mountaintop remote sensing mapping spectrometer. We show that the pattern of CH4 emissions contains both seasonal and nonseasonal contributions. We find that the seasonal component peaks in the winter and is correlated (R2 = 0.58) with utility natural gas consumption from the residential and commercial sectors and not from the industrial and gas-fired power plant sectors. The nonseasonal component is (22.9 ± 1.4) Gg CH4/month. If the seasonal correlation is causal, about (1.4 ± 0.1)% of the commercial and residential natural gas consumption in Los Angeles is released into the atmosphere.

AB - Legislation in the State of California mandates reductions in emissions of short-lived climate pollutants of 40% from 2013 levels by 2030 for CH4. Identification of the sector(s) responsible for these emissions and their temporal and spatial variability is a key step in achieving these goals. Here, we determine the emissions of CH4 in Los Angeles from 2011–2017 using a mountaintop remote sensing mapping spectrometer. We show that the pattern of CH4 emissions contains both seasonal and nonseasonal contributions. We find that the seasonal component peaks in the winter and is correlated (R2 = 0.58) with utility natural gas consumption from the residential and commercial sectors and not from the industrial and gas-fired power plant sectors. The nonseasonal component is (22.9 ± 1.4) Gg CH4/month. If the seasonal correlation is causal, about (1.4 ± 0.1)% of the commercial and residential natural gas consumption in Los Angeles is released into the atmosphere.

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KW - methane emissions

KW - natural gas leakage

KW - urban pollution

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Atmospheric Methane Emissions Correlate With Natural Gas Consumption From Residential and Commercial Sectors in Los Angeles

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