Conley, et al., report that single-point failures of natural gas infrastructure can hamper methane emission control strategies designed to mitigate climate change. The 23 October 2015 blowout of a well connected to the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility in California resulted in a massive release of natural gas. Analysis of methane and ethane data from dozens of plume transects, collected during 13 research-aircraft flights between 7 November 2015 and 13 February 2016, shows atmospheric leak rates of up to 60 metric tons of methane and 4.5 metric tons of ethane per hour. At its peak, this blowout effectively doubled the methane emission rate of the entire Los Angeles basin and, in total, released 97,100 metric tons of methane to the atmosphere.
This incident highlights the utility of rapid-response airborne chemical sampling in providing an independent, time-critical, accurate, and spatially and temporally resolved leak rate, as well as in ascertaining the source location and plume chemical composition. Such information can help to document human exposure, fonnulate optimal well-control intervention strategies, quantify the efficacy of deliberate control measures, and assess the climate and air quality impact.S of major unanticipated chemical releases to the atmosphere.
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