Distributions of air pollutants associated with oil and gas development measured in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming.
Diffusive sampler monitoring techniques were employed to assess the spatial
variability of air pollutants associated with the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field oil
and natural gas (O&NG) developments in the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming.
Diffusive sampling identified both the extent of wintertime ozone episodes and the
distributions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOC) including
BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers), and volatile polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), allowing the influence of different O&NG emission
sources to be determined. Concentration isopleth mapping of both diffusive sampler
and continuous ozone measurements showed the importance of localized production
and advective transport. As for ozone, BTEX and NOx mixing ratios were elevated
within O&NG development areas, with localized hotspots being evident. One BTEX
hotspot was related to an area with intensive development activities, while a second
was located around a water treatment and recycling facility. Contrastingly, NOx
hotspots occurred at different locations, often being associated with vehicular
emissions. Comparisons of observed selected PAH and VOC species ratios at a
roadside site in the town of Pinedale with those measured in O&NG development
areas show that traffic emissions contribute minimally to VOCs in these latter areas.
Thus elevated levels of naphthalene, often observed at BTEX hotspots, must arise
from non-traffic emission sources. Possible sources include waste gas incineration and
contaminated water treatment. In addition we note that contour mapping of the spatial
distribution of pollutant species concentrations determined by diffusive sampling has
considerable potential utility for the validation of emission inventories.
FIELD R.A.;
SOLTIS Jeff;
PEREZ BALLESTA Pascual;
GRANDESSO Emanuela;
MONTAGUE Derek;
2015-10-27
Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene
JRC95723
https://elementascience.org/articles/74,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC95723,
10.12952/journal.elementa.000074,
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