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Shipborne measurements of methane and carbon dioxide in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas and the contribution from oil and gas emissions

Shipborne measurements of methane and carbon dioxide in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas and the contribution from oil and gas emissions

Authors :
Paris, Jean-Daniel
Riandet, Aurélie
Bourtsoukidis, Efstratios
Delmotte, Marc
Berchet, Antoine
Williams, Jonathan
Ernle, Lisa
Tadic, Ivan
Harder, Hartwig
Lelieveld, Jos
Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement [Gif-sur-Yvette] (LSCE)
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
ICOS-ATC (ICOS-ATC)
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health
Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale (IMBE)
Avignon Université (AU)-Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut de recherche pour le développement [IRD] : UMR237-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Department of Atmospheric Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz 55128, Germany
Climate and Atmosphere Research Centre (CARE-C), The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, 2121, Cyprus
ICOS-RAMCES (ICOS-RAMCES)
Modélisation INVerse pour les mesures atmosphériques et SATellitaires (SATINV)
European Project: 856612
Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)
Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)
Source :
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2021, 21 (16), pp.12443-12462. ⟨10.5194/acp-21-12443-2021⟩, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, European Geosciences Union, 2021, 21 (16), pp.12443-12462. ⟨10.5194/acp-21-12443-2021⟩
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
HAL CCSD, 2021.

Abstract

The increase of atmospheric methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), two of the main anthropogenic greenhouse gases, is largely driven by fossil sources. Sources and sinks remain insufficiently characterized in the Mediterranean and Middle East areas, where very few in situ measurements are available. We measured the atmospheric mixing ratios of CH4 and CO2 by ship in the region in July and August 2017. High mixing ratios were observed over the Suez Canal, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, while generally lower mixing ratios were observed over the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. We probe the origin of the CO2 and CH4 excess mixing ratio by using correlations with light alkanes and through the use of a Lagrangian model coupled to two different emission inventories of anthropogenic sources. We find that the CO2 and especially the CH4 enhancements are mainly linked to nearby oil and gas (OG) activities over the Arabian Gulf and a mixture of other sources over the Red Sea. The isomeric ratio of pentane is shown to be a useful indicator of the OG component of atmospheric CH4 at the regional level. Upstream emissions linked to oil in the northern Arabian Gulf seem to be underestimated, while gas-related emissions in the southern Gulf are overestimated in our simulations. Our results highlight the need for improvement of inventories in the area to better characterize the changes in magnitude and the complex distribution of the OG sources in the Middle East.

Subjects

Subjects :
[SDE]Environmental Sciences

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16807316 and 16807324
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2021, 21 (16), pp.12443-12462. ⟨10.5194/acp-21-12443-2021⟩, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, European Geosciences Union, 2021, 21 (16), pp.12443-12462. ⟨10.5194/acp-21-12443-2021⟩
Accession number :
edsair.dedup.wf.001..492a0778f18ad53eb33bac77043e2a21
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12443-2021⟩