ARL Weekly News – July 15, 2024

Recent Events

Airborne Methane Mass Balance Emissions in Colorado Field Study

The Airborne Methane Mass Balance Emissions in Colorado (AMMBEC) field study was successfully completed by the ASMD measurement team. This three-week study focused on the Denver-Julesburg basin and the Denver metropolitan area. A total of 22 research flights were conducted using a NOAA Twin Otter aircraft to survey methane emissions from oil and gas operations, landfills, and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), as well as to study summer ozone pollution in the Colorado Front Range. Additionally, the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory’s mobile lab was deployed for the study, completing 13 drives to survey methane emissions and measure air pollutants in the area. These coordinated flights and drives were supplemented with images obtained from the GHGSat Instrument and NASA JPL’s AVIRIS3 airborne instrument. This study marks the first time that remote mapping instruments (both airborne and space-borne) have been compared to traditional methane flux measurements from low-flying aircraft, representing a significant advancement in the validation of new technology for mapping methane sources. This technology has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of methane emissions worldwide. The field study also attracted some local media attention, including interviews with two public radio stations and a Denver television station.

Three images showing data collected by NASA JPL, the NOAA Twin Otter, and GHGSat

Publications

Accepted for Publication

Eswarachandra, Nataraj; Womac, Alvin Ray; Duncan, Lori; Kochendorfer, John. “INTERNAL FOLIAR AIR VELOCITY CHARACTERISTICS FOR SOYBEANS TESTED IN A WIND TUNNEL” was accepted for publication in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.