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Sources of Formaldehyde in U.S. Oil and Gas Production RegionsWe analyzed observational and model data to study the sources of formaldehyde over oil and gas production regions and to investigate how these observations may be used to constrain oil and gas VOC emissions. The analysis of aircraft and satellite data consistently found that formaldehyde over oil and gas production regions during spring and summer is mostly formed by the photooxidation of precursor VOCs. Formaldehyde columns over the Permian basin, one of the largest oil and gas producing regions in the United States, are correlated with production locations. Formaldehyde simulations by the atmospheric chemistry and transport model WRF-Chem, which included oil and gas NOx and VOC emissions from the fuel-based oil and gas inventory, were in very good agreement with TROPOMI satellite measurements. Sensitivity studies illustrated that VOCs released from oil and gas activities are important precursors to formaldehyde, but other sources of VOCs contribute as well, and that the formation of secondary formaldehyde is highly sensitive to NOx. We also investigated the ability of the chemical mechanism used in WRF-Chem to represent formaldehyde formation from oil and gas hydrocarbons by comparing against the Master Chemical Mechanism. Further, our work provides estimates of primary formaldehyde emissions from oil and gas production activities, with per basin averages ranging from 0.07 kg h-1 to 2.2 kg h-1 in 2018. A separate estimate for natural gas flaring found that flaring emissions could contribute 5% to 12% to the total primary formaldehyde emissions for the Permian basin in 2018.
Document ID
20230017648
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Accepted Manuscript (Version with final changes)
Authors
Barbara Dix ORCID
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Meng Li
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Esther Roosenbrand
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Colby Fancoeur ORCID
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Steven S. Brown ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Jessica B. Gilman ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Thomas F. Hanisco ORCID
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, United States)
Frank Keutsch
(Harvard University Cambridge, United States)
Abigail Koss ORCID
(Tofwerk (Switzerland) Thun, Switzerland)
Brian M. Lerner
(Aerodyne Research Billerica, Massachusetts, United States)
Jeff Peischl ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
James M. Roberts ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Thomas B. Ryerson
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Jason M. St. Clair ORCID
(University of Maryland, Baltimore County Baltimore, Maryland, United States)
Patrick R. Veres
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Carsten Warneke ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Robert J. Wild
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Glenn M. Wolfe ORCID
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, United States)
Bin Yuan ORCID
(Jinan University Guangzhou, Guangdong, China)
J. Pepijn Veefkind
(Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute De Bilt, Netherlands)
Pieternel F. Levelt
(National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, United States)
Brian C. McDonald ORCID
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Washington, United States)
Joost de Gouw ORCID
(University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, United States)
Date Acquired
December 4, 2023
Publication Date
November 13, 2023
Publication Information
Publication: ACS Earth and Space Chemistry
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Volume: 7
Issue: 12
Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2023
e-ISSN: 2472-3452
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Chemistry and Materials (General)
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 281945.02.80.01.24
CONTRACT_GRANT: 80NSSC22M0001
CONTRACT_GRANT: 80NSSC19K0979
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF AGS-1755088
CONTRACT_GRANT: NOAA NA17OAR4320101
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Use by or on behalf of the US Gov. Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Peer Committee
Keywords
SAF
formaldehyde
SONGNEX
F0AM
TROPOMI
fracking
natural gas
VOC
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