Satellite-based estimates of nitrogen oxide and methane emissions from gas flaring and oil production activities in Sakha Republic, Russia
Iolanda Ialongo, Finnish Meteorological Institute, iolanda.ialongo@fmi.fi (Presenter)
Nadezhda Stepanova, University of Helsinki, stepanovanadezda21@gmail.com
Janne Hakkarainen, Finnish Meteorological Institute, janne.hakkarainen@fmi.fi
Henrik Virta, Finnish Meteorological Institute, henrik.virta@fmi.fi
Daria Gritsenko, University of Helsinki, daria.gritsenko@helsinki.fi
Crude oil production activities and associated petroleum gas (APG) flaring are responsible for significant air polluting and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and have negative effects on the environment and climate. We present the first analysis of nitrogen oxide and methane emissions over Tas-Yuryakh and Talakan oil fields in Sakha Republic (Eastern Siberia, Russia) using multi-satellite observations.
Satellite-based TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) mean fields show local NO2 enhancements corresponding to the locations of gas flares detected from Sentinel 2 imagery and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) fire data. We derive the annual nitrogen oxide (NOx=NO2+NO) emissions from TROPOMI NO2 observations using an exponentially-modified Gaussian model. We obtain NOx emissions up to 1.34 mol/s (in 2019) in Tas-Yuryakh, where persistent production APG flaring is detected. On the other hand, the emission rates are about 0.6 mol/s in Talakan, where oil production is three times larger than in Tas-Yuryakh but gas flaring is employed only for maintenance or safety operations during a few weeks in summer.
Furthermore, we find a clear methane (CH4) anomaly of about 30 ppb from the TROPOMI XCH4 mean fields near Talakan, including smaller enhancements in the south-west and north-west branches of the oil field. We estimate CH4 emissions of about 28-63 tons/h from individual TROPOMI XCH4 plumes using the cross-sectional flux method. Since the TROPOMI XCH4 algorithm’s quality flag discards scenes where gas flaring is detected (due to the large aerosol load), the observed enhancement is possibly related to venting, leakage or outflow from the flaring itself to the surrounding pixels.
The estimated satellite-based NOx and CH4 emissions are higher than those reported by existing inventories, which are expected to underestimate the contribution from the oil and gas industrial sector and are generally available with several years of delay. This study shows how satellite observations can help in monitoring air polluting emissions from the oil and gas industry and the commitment of oil companies in reducing APG flaring.
Poster: Poster_Ialongo__23_25.pdf
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 3.5b Observations to quantify hot spots and local/urban emissions
Session Date: Wednesday (6/16) 12:00 PM