Articles | Volume 17, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5091-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5091-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Sep 2024
Research article |
| 04 Sep 2024
| 04 Sep 2024
A new aerial approach for quantifying and attributing methane emissions: implementation and validation
Jonathan F. Dooley
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
Kenneth Minschwaner
Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
Manvendra K. Dubey
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Sahar H. El Abbadi
Department of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
present address: Sustainable Energy Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Evan D. Sherwin
Department of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
present address: Sustainable Energy Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Aaron G. Meyer
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
present address: Energy & Geoscience Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
Emily Follansbee
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
James E. Lee
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
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Cited
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Detection of Methane Leaks via Drone in Release Trials: Set-Up of the Measurement System for Flux Quantification G. Tassielli et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062467
- Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Assessing the Current Condition and Closure Design of Da Mai Landfill (Vietnam) P. Dinh et al. https://doi.org/10.21926/aeer.2602010
- Orphaned oil and gas well methane emission rates quantified using Gaussian plume inversions of ambient observations E. Follansbee et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4527-2025
- A human-portable mass flux method for methane emissions quantification: controlled release testing performance evaluation C. Vollrath et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-583-2026
- High Resolution UAV-Based Monitoring of Ambient Methane: Field Deployment and Intercomparison with Reference Standards D. Elum et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18040549
- A Critical Review on the Landfill Plastisphere: Coupling Microplastics and Greenhouse Gases Towards Smart Low-Carbon Management J. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084134
- An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-Based Methane Quantification Method for Oil and Gas Sites D. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9110785
- Validation of urban airflow measurements through a combined field test and wind tunnel study S. McTavish et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2025.106155
- Photocatalytic Selective Conversion of Methane to C2 Products under Mild Conditions Y. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c07399
- Direct measurement of methane emissions in cattle breeds by using UAV monitoring systems to improve data quality in LCA U. Spizzirri et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-026-02620-5
- Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells M. Dubey et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2987-2025
- Methane emission detections and emission rate indications using handheld sensors at non-producing oil and gas wells B. Lamarche & M. Kang https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ae718c
12 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Detection of Methane Leaks via Drone in Release Trials: Set-Up of the Measurement System for Flux Quantification G. Tassielli et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062467
- Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Assessing the Current Condition and Closure Design of Da Mai Landfill (Vietnam) P. Dinh et al. https://doi.org/10.21926/aeer.2602010
- Orphaned oil and gas well methane emission rates quantified using Gaussian plume inversions of ambient observations E. Follansbee et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-4527-2025
- A human-portable mass flux method for methane emissions quantification: controlled release testing performance evaluation C. Vollrath et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-583-2026
- High Resolution UAV-Based Monitoring of Ambient Methane: Field Deployment and Intercomparison with Reference Standards D. Elum et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18040549
- A Critical Review on the Landfill Plastisphere: Coupling Microplastics and Greenhouse Gases Towards Smart Low-Carbon Management J. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18084134
- An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-Based Methane Quantification Method for Oil and Gas Sites D. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9110785
- Validation of urban airflow measurements through a combined field test and wind tunnel study S. McTavish et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jweia.2025.106155
- Photocatalytic Selective Conversion of Methane to C2 Products under Mild Conditions Y. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c07399
- Direct measurement of methane emissions in cattle breeds by using UAV monitoring systems to improve data quality in LCA U. Spizzirri et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-026-02620-5
- Development of a forced advection sampling technique (FAST) for quantification of methane emissions from orphaned wells M. Dubey et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2987-2025
- Methane emission detections and emission rate indications using handheld sensors at non-producing oil and gas wells B. Lamarche & M. Kang https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ae718c
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 13 Jun 2026
Short summary
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas originating from both natural and human activities. We describe a new uncrewed aerial system (UAS) designed to measure methane emission rates over a wide range of scales. This system has been used for direct quantification of point sources and distributed emitters over scales of up to 1 km. The system uses simultaneous measurements of methane and ethane to distinguish between different kinds of natural and human-related emission sources.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas originating from both natural and human activities. We...
