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Research Article

Toward a better understanding and quantification of methane emissions from shale gas development

Dana R. Caulton, Paul B. Shepson, Renee L. Santoro, Jed P. Sparks, Robert W. Howarth, Anthony R. Ingraffea, Maria O. L. Cambaliza, Colm Sweeney, Anna Karion, Kenneth J. Davis, Brian H. Stirm, Stephen A. Montzka, and Ben R. Miller
  1. Departments of aChemistry,
  2. bEarth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, and
  3. iAviation Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907;
  4. cPhysicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Ithaca, NY 14851;
  5. Departments of dEcology and Evolutionary Biology and
  6. eCivil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
  7. fNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305;
  8. gCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; and
  9. hDepartment of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802

See allHide authors and affiliations

PNAS first published April 14, 2014; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316546111
Dana R. Caulton
Departments of aChemistry,
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  • For correspondence: dcaulton@purdue.edu
Paul B. Shepson
Departments of aChemistry,
bEarth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, and
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Renee L. Santoro
cPhysicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Ithaca, NY 14851;
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Jed P. Sparks
Departments of dEcology and Evolutionary Biology and
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Robert W. Howarth
Departments of dEcology and Evolutionary Biology and
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Anthony R. Ingraffea
cPhysicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy, Ithaca, NY 14851;
eCivil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853;
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Maria O. L. Cambaliza
Departments of aChemistry,
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Colm Sweeney
fNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305;
gCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; and
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Anna Karion
fNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305;
gCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; and
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Kenneth J. Davis
hDepartment of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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Brian H. Stirm
iAviation Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907;
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Stephen A. Montzka
fNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305;
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Ben R. Miller
fNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Boulder, CO 80305;
gCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; and
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  1. Edited* by Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, and approved March 12, 2014 (received for review September 4, 2013)

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Significance

We identified a significant regional flux of methane over a large area of shale gas wells in southwestern Pennsylvania in the Marcellus formation and further identified several pads with high methane emissions. These shale gas pads were identified as in the drilling process, a preproduction stage not previously associated with high methane emissions. This work emphasizes the need for top-down identification and component level and event driven measurements of methane leaks to properly inventory the combined methane emissions of natural gas extraction and combustion to better define the impacts of our nation’s increasing reliance on natural gas to meet our energy needs.

Abstract

The identification and quantification of methane emissions from natural gas production has become increasingly important owing to the increase in the natural gas component of the energy sector. An instrumented aircraft platform was used to identify large sources of methane and quantify emission rates in southwestern PA in June 2012. A large regional flux, 2.0–14 g CH4 s−1 km−2, was quantified for a ∼2,800-km2 area, which did not differ statistically from a bottom-up inventory, 2.3–4.6 g CH4 s−1 km−2. Large emissions averaging 34 g CH4/s per well were observed from seven well pads determined to be in the drilling phase, 2 to 3 orders of magnitude greater than US Environmental Protection Agency estimates for this operational phase. The emissions from these well pads, representing ∼1% of the total number of wells, account for 4–30% of the observed regional flux. More work is needed to determine all of the sources of methane emissions from natural gas production, to ascertain why these emissions occur and to evaluate their climate and atmospheric chemistry impacts.

  • unconventional gas
  • greenhouse gas
  • hydraulic fracturing

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dcaulton{at}purdue.edu.
  • Author contributions: P.B.S., J.P.S., R.W.H., M.O.L.C., and B.H.S. designed research; D.R.C., P.B.S., and R.L.S. performed research; D.R.C., P.B.S., R.L.S., J.P.S., R.W.H., A.R.I., K.J.D., S.A.M., and B.R.M. analyzed data; D.R.C., P.B.S., R.L.S., J.P.S., R.W.H., A.R.I., C.S., A.K., S.A.M., and B.R.M. wrote the paper; and B.H.S. designed and installed aircraft setup.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • ↵*This Direct Submission article had a prearranged editor.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1316546111/-/DCSupplemental.

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Methane emission from a shale gas field
Dana R. Caulton, Paul B. Shepson, Renee L. Santoro, Jed P. Sparks, Robert W. Howarth, Anthony R. Ingraffea, Maria O. L. Cambaliza, Colm Sweeney, Anna Karion, Kenneth J. Davis, Brian H. Stirm, Stephen A. Montzka, Ben R. Miller
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2014, 201316546; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316546111

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Methane emission from a shale gas field
Dana R. Caulton, Paul B. Shepson, Renee L. Santoro, Jed P. Sparks, Robert W. Howarth, Anthony R. Ingraffea, Maria O. L. Cambaliza, Colm Sweeney, Anna Karion, Kenneth J. Davis, Brian H. Stirm, Stephen A. Montzka, Ben R. Miller
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2014, 201316546; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316546111
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