Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions pose a global climate challenge and the mining sector is a large contributor. Diurnal and seasonal variations of area-fugitive methane advective flux, released from an open-pit mine and a tailings pond, from a facility in northern Canada, were simulated in spring 2018...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1227 |
| _version_ | 1797547883239571456 |
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| author | Manoj K. Nambiar Françoise R. Robe Alison M. Seguin Matthew Endsin Amir A. Aliabadi |
| author_facet | Manoj K. Nambiar Françoise R. Robe Alison M. Seguin Matthew Endsin Amir A. Aliabadi |
| author_sort | Manoj K. Nambiar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions pose a global climate challenge and the mining sector is a large contributor. Diurnal and seasonal variations of area-fugitive methane advective flux, released from an open-pit mine and a tailings pond, from a facility in northern Canada, were simulated in spring 2018 and winter 2019, using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The methane mixing ratio boundary conditions for the WRF model were obtained from the in-situ field measurements, using Los Gatos Research Ultra-Portable Greenhouse Gas Analyzers (LGRs), placed in various locations surrounding the mine pit and a tailings pond. The simulated advective flux was influenced by local and synoptic weather conditions in spring and winter, respectively. Overall, the average total advective flux in the spring was greater than that in the winter by 36% and 75%, for the mine and pond, respectively. Diurnal variations of flux were notable in the spring, characterized by low flux during thermally stable (nighttime) and high flux during thermally unstable (daytime) conditions. The model predictions of the methane mixing ratio were in reasonable agreement with limited aircraft observations (<inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>=</mo><mn>0.68</mn></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>). The findings shed new light in understanding the area-fugitive advective flux from complex terrains and call for more rigorous observations in support of the findings. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:50:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f95edec1a7f4aee9a121d35c293544d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:50:25Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f95edec1a7f4aee9a121d35c293544d2023-11-20T20:58:24ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332020-11-011111122710.3390/atmos11111227Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRFManoj K. Nambiar0Françoise R. Robe1Alison M. Seguin2Matthew Endsin3Amir A. Aliabadi4School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaRWDI, Suite 1000, 736 8th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1H4, CanadaRWDI, Suite 1000, 736 8th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1H4, CanadaRWDI, Suite 1000, 736 8th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 1H4, CanadaSchool of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, CanadaGreenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions pose a global climate challenge and the mining sector is a large contributor. Diurnal and seasonal variations of area-fugitive methane advective flux, released from an open-pit mine and a tailings pond, from a facility in northern Canada, were simulated in spring 2018 and winter 2019, using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The methane mixing ratio boundary conditions for the WRF model were obtained from the in-situ field measurements, using Los Gatos Research Ultra-Portable Greenhouse Gas Analyzers (LGRs), placed in various locations surrounding the mine pit and a tailings pond. The simulated advective flux was influenced by local and synoptic weather conditions in spring and winter, respectively. Overall, the average total advective flux in the spring was greater than that in the winter by 36% and 75%, for the mine and pond, respectively. Diurnal variations of flux were notable in the spring, characterized by low flux during thermally stable (nighttime) and high flux during thermally unstable (daytime) conditions. The model predictions of the methane mixing ratio were in reasonable agreement with limited aircraft observations (<inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mi>R</mi><mn>2</mn></msup><mo>=</mo><mn>0.68</mn></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula>). The findings shed new light in understanding the area-fugitive advective flux from complex terrains and call for more rigorous observations in support of the findings.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1227advective fluxaircraft measurementsarea-fugitive emissionsmethaneopen-pit miningWeather Research and Forecasting (WRF) |
| spellingShingle | Manoj K. Nambiar Françoise R. Robe Alison M. Seguin Matthew Endsin Amir A. Aliabadi Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF Atmosphere advective flux aircraft measurements area-fugitive emissions methane open-pit mining Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) |
| title | Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF |
| title_full | Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF |
| title_fullStr | Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF |
| title_short | Diurnal and Seasonal Variation of Area-Fugitive Methane Advective Flux from an Open-Pit Mining Facility in Northern Canada Using WRF |
| title_sort | diurnal and seasonal variation of area fugitive methane advective flux from an open pit mining facility in northern canada using wrf |
| topic | advective flux aircraft measurements area-fugitive emissions methane open-pit mining Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/11/1227 |
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