Stefan Schwietzke
Biographic Data
| ID | 8002043 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stefan Schwietzke |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stefan |
| FAMILY NAME | Schwietzke |
| SIGNATURE | SCHWIETZKE S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1836-8968 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 7 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 8 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
CH4 isotopic signatures of emissions from oil and gas extraction sites in Romania
Methane (CH4) emissions to the atmosphere from the oil and gas sector in Romania remain highly uncertain despite their relevance for the European Union’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Measurements of CH4 isotopic composition can be used for source attribution, which is important in top-down studies of emissions from extended areas. We performed isotope measurements of CH4 in atmospheric air samples collected from an aircraft (24 locat…
Conflicting estimates of natural geologic methane emissions
Global bottom-up and top-down estimates of natural, geologic methane (CH4) emissions (average approximately 45 Tg yr–1) have recently been questioned by near-zero (approximately 1.6 Tg yr–1) estimates based on measurements of 14CH4 trapped in ice cores, which imply that current fossil fuel industries’ CH4 emissions are underestimated by 25%–40%. As we show here, such a global near-zero geologic CH4 emission estimate is incompatible with multiple …
A tale of two regions
We use atmospheric observations to quantify methane (CH 4 ) emissions from Mexico’s most important onshore and offshore oil and gas production regions which account for 95% of oil production and 78% of gas production. We use aircraft-based top-down measurements at the regional and facility-levels to determine emissions. Satellite data (TROPOMI CH 4 data and VIIRS night-time flare data) provide independent estimates of emissions over 2 years. Our …
Air quality measurements in the western Eagle Ford Shale
The Eagle Ford Shale in southern Texas remains one of the most productive oil and gas regions in the US. Like the Permian Basin and Bakken Shale, ubiquitous natural gas flaring serves as an uncertain source of trace gas emissions within the Eagle Ford. A lack of ambient air quality data, especially in the western shale, impedes a thorough understanding of trace gas emissions within the shale and the subsequent local/regional air quality impacts. …
Investigating large methane enhancements in the U.S. San Juan Basin
In 2014, a satellite-based map of regional anomalies of atmospheric methane (CH4) column retrievals singled out the fossil fuel rich San Juan Basin (SJB) as the biggest CH4 regional anomaly (“hot spot”) in the United States. Over a 3-week period in April 2015, we conducted ground and airborne atmospheric measurements to investigate daily wind regimes and CH4 emissions in this region of SW Colorado and NW New Mexico. The SJB, similar to other topo…
A methane emissions reduction equivalence framework for alternative leak detection and repair programs
Fugitive methane emissions from the oil and gas sector are typically addressed through periodic leak detection and repair surveys. These surveys, conducted manually using handheld leak detection technologies, are time-consuming. To improve the speed and cost-effectiveness of leak detection, technology developers are introducing innovative solutions using mobile platforms, close-range portable systems, and permanent installations. Many of these ne…
Methane source attribution in a U.S. dry gas basin using spatial patterns of ground and airborne ethane and methane measurements
An intensive coordinated airborne and ground-based measurement study was conducted in the Fayetteville Shale in northwestern Arkansas during September and October 2015 to compare and explain potential discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up estimates of regional natural gas (NG) methane (CH4) emissions. In situ mobile downwind measurements are used to document the ethane to methane enhancement ratios (ERs) in emission plumes from NG operatio…
Global geological methane emissions
A wide body of literature suggests that geological gas emissions from Earth’s degassing are a major methane (CH4) source to the atmosphere. These emissions are from gas-oil seeps, mud volcanoes, microseepage and submarine seepage in sedimentary (petroleum-bearing) basins, and geothermal and volcanic manifestations. Global bottom-up emission estimates, ranging from 30 to 76 Tg CH4 yr–1, evolved in the last twenty years thanks to the increasing num…
Emission scenarios of a potential shale gas industry in Germany and the United Kingdom
The shale gas debate has taken center stage over the past decade in many European countries due to its purported climate advantages over coal and the implications for domestic energy security. Nevertheless, shale gas production generates greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions including carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. In this study we develop three shale gas drilling…
Modeling the impact of a potential shale gas industry in Germany and the United Kingdom on ozone with WRF-Chem
Germany and the United Kingdom have domestic shale gas reserves which they may exploit in the future to complement their national energy strategies. However gas production releases volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which through photochemical reaction form ground-level ozone, an air pollutant that can trigger adverse health effects e.g. on the respiratory system. This study explores the range of impacts of a potential sh…
Equipment leak detection and quantification at 67 oil and gas sites in the Western United States
Emissions from equipment leaks from process components, such as valves and flanges, were measured at 67 sites in the oil and natural gas production and gathering and boosting segments in four different onshore production basins in the western United States. Component counts were obtained from 65 of the 67 sites where nearly 84,000 monitored components resulted in a leak detection rate of 0.39% when detection results using both optical gas imaging…
Methane emissions from oil and gas production sites in Alberta, Canada
We performed ground-based measurements (downwind, site-wide characterization) of methane emissions from older light oil and natural gas production sites in Alberta, Canada (Red Deer region, 60 measured sites). We developed a distribution of site-based methane emissions and as previously found in production regions in the United States, a small fraction of the sites account for the majority of methane emissions: 20% of the sites emit three quarter…
Methane emissions in the Netherlands
The Groningen natural gas field in the Netherlands – one of Europe’s major gas fields – deploys a “production cluster” infrastructure with extraction, some processing and storage in a single facility. This region is also the site of intensive agriculture and cattle operations. We present results from a multi-scale measurement campaign of methane emissions, including ground and airborne-based estimates. Results are compared with inventory at both …
A decade of changes in nitrogen oxides over regions of oil and natural gas activity in the United States
Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO) are a highly regulated species that play a major role in the formation of photochemical smog. While NOx emissions are generally decreasing over the U.S. as a result of more stringent environmental policies and improved emissions control technologies, the shale oil and natural gas industry is reversing this rate of changes in certain regions. We present here a quantitative analysis of NOx levels over the seven main…
Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations
Coordinated dual-tracer, aircraft-based, and direct component-level measurements were made at midstream natural gas gathering and boosting stations in the Fayetteville shale (Arkansas, USA). On-site component-level measurements were combined with engineering estimates to generate comprehensive facility-level methane emission rate estimates (“study on-site estimates (SOE)”) comparable to tracer and aircraft measurements. Combustion slip (unburned …
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A decade of changes in nitrogen oxides over regions of oil and natural gas activity in the United States
Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO) are a highly regulated species that play a major role in the formation of photochemical smog. While NOx emissions are generally decreasing over the U.S. as a result of more stringent environmental policies and improved emissions control technologies, the shale oil and natural gas industry is reversing this rate of changes in certain regions. We present here a quantitative analysis of NOx levels over the seven main…
Comparing facility-level methane emission rate estimates at natural gas gathering and boosting stations
Coordinated dual-tracer, aircraft-based, and direct component-level measurements were made at midstream natural gas gathering and boosting stations in the Fayetteville shale (Arkansas, USA). On-site component-level measurements were combined with engineering estimates to generate comprehensive facility-level methane emission rate estimates (“study on-site estimates (SOE)”) comparable to tracer and aircraft measurements. Combustion slip (unburned …
Methane emissions from oil and gas production sites in Alberta, Canada
We performed ground-based measurements (downwind, site-wide characterization) of methane emissions from older light oil and natural gas production sites in Alberta, Canada (Red Deer region, 60 measured sites). We developed a distribution of site-based methane emissions and as previously found in production regions in the United States, a small fraction of the sites account for the majority of methane emissions: 20% of the sites emit three quarter…
Methane emissions in the Netherlands
The Groningen natural gas field in the Netherlands – one of Europe’s major gas fields – deploys a “production cluster” infrastructure with extraction, some processing and storage in a single facility. This region is also the site of intensive agriculture and cattle operations. We present results from a multi-scale measurement campaign of methane emissions, including ground and airborne-based estimates. Results are compared with inventory at both …
A methane emissions reduction equivalence framework for alternative leak detection and repair programs
Fugitive methane emissions from the oil and gas sector are typically addressed through periodic leak detection and repair surveys. These surveys, conducted manually using handheld leak detection technologies, are time-consuming. To improve the speed and cost-effectiveness of leak detection, technology developers are introducing innovative solutions using mobile platforms, close-range portable systems, and permanent installations. Many of these ne…
Methane source attribution in a U.S. dry gas basin using spatial patterns of ground and airborne ethane and methane measurements
An intensive coordinated airborne and ground-based measurement study was conducted in the Fayetteville Shale in northwestern Arkansas during September and October 2015 to compare and explain potential discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up estimates of regional natural gas (NG) methane (CH4) emissions. In situ mobile downwind measurements are used to document the ethane to methane enhancement ratios (ERs) in emission plumes from NG operatio…
Global geological methane emissions
A wide body of literature suggests that geological gas emissions from Earth’s degassing are a major methane (CH4) source to the atmosphere. These emissions are from gas-oil seeps, mud volcanoes, microseepage and submarine seepage in sedimentary (petroleum-bearing) basins, and geothermal and volcanic manifestations. Global bottom-up emission estimates, ranging from 30 to 76 Tg CH4 yr–1, evolved in the last twenty years thanks to the increasing num…
Emission scenarios of a potential shale gas industry in Germany and the United Kingdom
The shale gas debate has taken center stage over the past decade in many European countries due to its purported climate advantages over coal and the implications for domestic energy security. Nevertheless, shale gas production generates greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions including carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. In this study we develop three shale gas drilling…
Modeling the impact of a potential shale gas industry in Germany and the United Kingdom on ozone with WRF-Chem
Germany and the United Kingdom have domestic shale gas reserves which they may exploit in the future to complement their national energy strategies. However gas production releases volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which through photochemical reaction form ground-level ozone, an air pollutant that can trigger adverse health effects e.g. on the respiratory system. This study explores the range of impacts of a potential sh…
Equipment leak detection and quantification at 67 oil and gas sites in the Western United States
Emissions from equipment leaks from process components, such as valves and flanges, were measured at 67 sites in the oil and natural gas production and gathering and boosting segments in four different onshore production basins in the western United States. Component counts were obtained from 65 of the 67 sites where nearly 84,000 monitored components resulted in a leak detection rate of 0.39% when detection results using both optical gas imaging…
Air quality measurements in the western Eagle Ford Shale
The Eagle Ford Shale in southern Texas remains one of the most productive oil and gas regions in the US. Like the Permian Basin and Bakken Shale, ubiquitous natural gas flaring serves as an uncertain source of trace gas emissions within the Eagle Ford. A lack of ambient air quality data, especially in the western shale, impedes a thorough understanding of trace gas emissions within the shale and the subsequent local/regional air quality impacts. …
Investigating large methane enhancements in the U.S. San Juan Basin
In 2014, a satellite-based map of regional anomalies of atmospheric methane (CH4) column retrievals singled out the fossil fuel rich San Juan Basin (SJB) as the biggest CH4 regional anomaly (“hot spot”) in the United States. Over a 3-week period in April 2015, we conducted ground and airborne atmospheric measurements to investigate daily wind regimes and CH4 emissions in this region of SW Colorado and NW New Mexico. The SJB, similar to other topo…
Conflicting estimates of natural geologic methane emissions
Global bottom-up and top-down estimates of natural, geologic methane (CH4) emissions (average approximately 45 Tg yr–1) have recently been questioned by near-zero (approximately 1.6 Tg yr–1) estimates based on measurements of 14CH4 trapped in ice cores, which imply that current fossil fuel industries’ CH4 emissions are underestimated by 25%–40%. As we show here, such a global near-zero geologic CH4 emission estimate is incompatible with multiple …
A tale of two regions
We use atmospheric observations to quantify methane (CH 4 ) emissions from Mexico’s most important onshore and offshore oil and gas production regions which account for 95% of oil production and 78% of gas production. We use aircraft-based top-down measurements at the regional and facility-levels to determine emissions. Satellite data (TROPOMI CH 4 data and VIIRS night-time flare data) provide independent estimates of emissions over 2 years. Our …
CH4 isotopic signatures of emissions from oil and gas extraction sites in Romania
Methane (CH4) emissions to the atmosphere from the oil and gas sector in Romania remain highly uncertain despite their relevance for the European Union’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Measurements of CH4 isotopic composition can be used for source attribution, which is important in top-down studies of emissions from extended areas. We performed isotope measurements of CH4 in atmospheric air samples collected from an aircraft (24 locat…
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics (15 works) · Environmental Science (14 works) · Geology (12 works) · Atmospheric sciences (11 works) · Chemistry (11 works) · Engineering (11 works) · Methane (11 works) · Natural gas (11 works) · Fossil fuel (10 works) · Waste management (10 works)