Synthesis and assessment of emissions data
The importance of measuring and managing emissions from fossil fuel systems has led to a proliferation of emissions evaluations using different modeling and field measurement approaches. Our research carefully considers how to bring together emissions data that span multiple temporal and geographic scales, ranging from airborne assessments of basin-scale emissions to engineering estimates based on ground-level surveys.
We’ve demonstrated that emissions are often underestimated in official inventories, with equipment leaks and large, infrequent emissions being key contributors. By generating and analyzing large measurement-based datasets, we aim to refine emissions models and improve quantified estimates. This helps guide better methane mitigation strategies and enhance how we design and deploy leak technologies.
Related Publications
- Sherwin, E., Rutherford, J., Zhang, Z., Chen, Y., Wetherley, E., Yakovlev, P., Berman, E., Jones, B., Cusworth, D., Thorpe, A., Ayasse, A., Duren, R., & Brandt, A. (2024). US oil and gas system emissions from nearly one million aerial site measurements. Nature, 627(8003), 328-334. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07117-5
- Sherwin, E., Lever, E., & Brandt, A. (2022). Low-Cost Representative Sampling for a Natural Gas Distribution System in Transition. ACS Omega, 7(48), 43973–43980. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c05314
- Rutherford, J., Sherwin, E., Ravikumar, A., Heath, G., Englander, J., Cooley, D., Omara, M., Lanfitt, Q., & Brandt, A. (2021). Closing the methane gap in US oil and natural gas production emissions inventories. Nature Communications, 12(1), 4715. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25017-4
- Alvarez, R., Zavala-Araiza, D., & Lyon, D. (2018). Assessment of methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas supply chain. Science, 361(6398), 186-188. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar7204
- Ravikumar, A., & Brandt, A. (2017). Designing better methane mitigation policies: the challenge of distributed small sources in the natural gas sector. Environmental Research Letters, 12(4), 044023. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa6791
- Brandt, A., Heath, G., & Cooley, D. (2016). Methane Leaks from Natural Gas Systems Follow Extreme Distributions. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(22), 12512–12520. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b04303
- Kemp, C., Ravikumar, A., & Brandt, A. (2016). Comparing Natural Gas Leakage Detection Technologies Using an Open-Source “Virtual Gas Field” Simulator. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(8), 4546–4553. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b06068
- Brazilian, M., Brandt, A., Billman, L., Heath, G., Logan, J., Mann, M., Melaina, M., Statwick, P., Arent, D., & Benson, S. (2014). Ensuring benefits from North American shale gas development: Towards a research agenda. Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources, 7, 71-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juogr.2014.01.003
- Brandt, A., Heath, G., & Kourt, E. (2014). Methane Leaks from North American Natural Gas Systems. Science, 343(6172), 733-735. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1247045