| Autor: |
Irakulis-Loitxate I; Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia 46022, Spain., Guanter L; Research Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Valencia 46022, Spain., Maasakkers JD; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht 3584 CA, The Netherlands., Zavala-Araiza D; Environmental Defense Fund, Reguliersgracht 79, Amsterdam 1017 LN, The Netherlands.; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CC, The Netherlands., Aben I; SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Utrecht 3584 CA, The Netherlands. |
| Abstrakt: |
Reduction of fossil fuel-related methane emissions has been identified as an essential means for climate change mitigation, but emission source identification remains elusive for most oil and gas production basins in the world. We combine three complementary satellite data sets to survey single methane emission sources on the west coast of Turkmenistan, one of the largest methane hotspots in the world. We found 29 different emitters, with emission rates >1800 kg/h, active in the 2017-2020 time period, although older satellite data show that this type of emission has been occurring for decades. We find that all sources are linked to extraction fields mainly dedicated to crude oil production, where 24 of them are inactive flares venting gas. The analysis of time series suggests a causal relationship between the decrease in flaring and the increase in venting. At the regional level, 2020 shows a substantial increase in the number of methane plume detections concerning previous years. Our results suggest that these large venting point sources represent a key mitigation opportunity as they emanate from human-controlled facilities, and that new satellite methods promise a revolution in the detection and monitoring of methane point emissions worldwide. |
