Methane Emissions from Superemitting Coal Mines in Australia Quantified Using TROPOMI Satellite Observations.

Autor: Sadavarte P; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands.; Department of Climate, Air and Sustainability, TNO, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands., Pandey S; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands., Maasakkers JD; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands., Lorente A; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands., Borsdorff T; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands., Denier van der Gon H; Department of Climate, Air and Sustainability, TNO, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands., Houweling S; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands.; Department of Earth Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Aben I; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Environmental science & technology [Environ Sci Technol] 2021 Dec 21; Vol. 55 (24), pp. 16573-16580. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 29.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03976
Abstrakt: Two years of satellite observations were used to quantify methane emissions from coal mines in Queensland, the largest coal-producing state in Australia. The six analyzed surface and underground coal mines are estimated to emit 570 ± 98 Gg a -1 in 2018-2019. Together, they account for 7% of the national coal production while emitting 55 ± 10% of the reported methane emission from coal mining in Australia. Our results indicate that for two of the three locations, our satellite-based estimates are significantly higher than reported to the Australian government. Most remarkably, 40% of the quantified emission came from a single surface mine (Hail Creek) located in a methane-rich coal basin. Our findings call for increased monitoring and investment in methane recovery technologies for both surface and underground mines.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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