The Front Range of Colorado is home to multiple sources of atmospheric methane. The main sources are oil and gas operations and cattle feedlots. Estimates of the relative contributions of each major source have so far been done by the “bottom up” method.
This campaign simultaneously measured methane, ethane, and ammonia at a field site in Greeley, Colorado. We plan to perform methane source apportionment by using ethane as a tracer for oil and gas operations, and ammonia as a tracer for biogenic sources. Combined with wind modeling we will be able to calculate total emissions.
