Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions
Abstract Emissions from flaring and venting (FV) in oil and gas (O&G) production are difficult to quantify due to their intermittent activities and lack of adequate monitoring and reporting. Given their potentially significant contribution to total emissions from the O&G sector in the United...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2024-03-01
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| Series: | GeoHealth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000938 |
| _version_ | 1797242840934252544 |
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| author | Huy Tran Erin Polka Jonathan J. Buonocore Ananya Roy Beth Trask Hillary Hull Saravanan Arunachalam |
| author_facet | Huy Tran Erin Polka Jonathan J. Buonocore Ananya Roy Beth Trask Hillary Hull Saravanan Arunachalam |
| author_sort | Huy Tran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Emissions from flaring and venting (FV) in oil and gas (O&G) production are difficult to quantify due to their intermittent activities and lack of adequate monitoring and reporting. Given their potentially significant contribution to total emissions from the O&G sector in the United States, we estimate emissions from FV using Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite satellite observations and state/local reported data on flared gas volume. These refined estimates are higher than those reported in the National Emission Inventory: by up to 15 times for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), two times for sulfur dioxides, and 22% higher for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Annual average contributions of FV to ozone (O3), NO2, and PM2.5 in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS) are less than 0.15%, but significant contributions of up to 60% are found in O&G fields with FV. FV contributions are higher in winter than in summer months for O3 and PM2.5; an inverse behavior is found for NO2. Nitrate aerosol contributions to PM2.5 are highest in the Denver basin whereas in the Permian and Bakken basins, sulfate and elemental carbon aerosols are the major contributors. Over four simulated months in 2016 for the entire CONUS, FV contributes 210 additional instances of exceedances to the daily maximum 8‐hr average O3 and has negligible contributions to exceedance of NO2 and PM2.5, given the current form of the national ambient air quality standards. FV emissions are found to cause over $7.4 billion in health damages, 710 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children annually. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:45:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5246e6f6b4d45d8b160f25b3125d868 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2471-1403 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:45:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | GeoHealth |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5246e6f6b4d45d8b160f25b3125d8682024-03-27T05:36:28ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)GeoHealth2471-14032024-03-0183n/an/a10.1029/2023GH000938Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based EmissionsHuy Tran0Erin Polka1Jonathan J. Buonocore2Ananya Roy3Beth Trask4Hillary Hull5Saravanan Arunachalam6Institute for the Environment The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USADepartment of Environmental Health Boston University School of Public Health Boston MA USADepartment of Environmental Health Boston University School of Public Health Boston MA USAEnvironmental Defense Fund Washington DC USAEnvironmental Defense Fund Washington DC USAEnvironmental Defense Fund Washington DC USAInstitute for the Environment The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USAAbstract Emissions from flaring and venting (FV) in oil and gas (O&G) production are difficult to quantify due to their intermittent activities and lack of adequate monitoring and reporting. Given their potentially significant contribution to total emissions from the O&G sector in the United States, we estimate emissions from FV using Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite satellite observations and state/local reported data on flared gas volume. These refined estimates are higher than those reported in the National Emission Inventory: by up to 15 times for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), two times for sulfur dioxides, and 22% higher for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Annual average contributions of FV to ozone (O3), NO2, and PM2.5 in the conterminous U.S. (CONUS) are less than 0.15%, but significant contributions of up to 60% are found in O&G fields with FV. FV contributions are higher in winter than in summer months for O3 and PM2.5; an inverse behavior is found for NO2. Nitrate aerosol contributions to PM2.5 are highest in the Denver basin whereas in the Permian and Bakken basins, sulfate and elemental carbon aerosols are the major contributors. Over four simulated months in 2016 for the entire CONUS, FV contributes 210 additional instances of exceedances to the daily maximum 8‐hr average O3 and has negligible contributions to exceedance of NO2 and PM2.5, given the current form of the national ambient air quality standards. FV emissions are found to cause over $7.4 billion in health damages, 710 premature deaths, and 73,000 asthma exacerbations among children annually.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000938flaring and ventingoil and gasemissionsVIIRSair qualityhealth |
| spellingShingle | Huy Tran Erin Polka Jonathan J. Buonocore Ananya Roy Beth Trask Hillary Hull Saravanan Arunachalam Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions GeoHealth flaring and venting oil and gas emissions VIIRS air quality health |
| title | Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions |
| title_full | Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions |
| title_fullStr | Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions |
| title_short | Air Quality and Health Impacts of Onshore Oil and Gas Flaring and Venting Activities Estimated Using Refined Satellite‐Based Emissions |
| title_sort | air quality and health impacts of onshore oil and gas flaring and venting activities estimated using refined satellite based emissions |
| topic | flaring and venting oil and gas emissions VIIRS air quality health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000938 |
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