Quantifying Methane and Ozone Precursor Emissions from Oil and Gas Production Regions across the Contiguous US

We present an updated fuel-based oil and gas (FOG) inventory with estimates of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural production in the contiguous US (CONUS). compare FOG aircraft-derived (“top-down”) for NOx over footprints that account ∼25% production. Across CONUS, we find bottom-up combined other anthropogenic is on average within ∼10% top-down emissions. also good agreement trends drilling- production-phase activities, as inferred by satellites inventory. Leveraging tracer–tracer relationships derived aircraft observations, methane (CH4) non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) have been added to Our total CONUS emission 2015 are 0.45 ± 0.14 Tg NOx/yr, 15.2 3.0 CH4/yr, 5.7 1.7 NMVOC/yr. Compared National Emissions Inventory Greenhouse Gas Inventory, ∼40% lower, while CH4 NMVOC up a factor ∼2 higher. This suggests NMVOC/NOx basins ∼3 times higher than current will likely affect how air quality models represent ozone formation downwind fields.