Feasibility of Tracking Methane Emissions Dynamics from Oil and Gas Production Region Based on Satellite Observation

Oil and gas activities are a major contemporary anthropogenic source of methane. Timely tracking of regional methane emissions spatiotemporal dynamics is of great significance for controlling methane emissions in oil and gas production and evaluating the effectiveness of methane emission reduction. We perform the satellite-based spatiotemporal dynamic tracking of methane emissions in the oil-producing basin of Junggar Basin by using TROPOMI data from 2019 to 2023. Field measurements are conducted to get a better understanding of the atmospheric methane characteristics of different emissions point-source and compare the correlation between satellite observations and ground measurements. Results show the clear seasonal trend with higher methane emissions in winter and lower methane emissions in summer and the interannual trend with the slow growth from 2019 to 2021 and a stable state from 2022 to 2023. The field measurements show the relatively higher emissions from wetland and oil-production area. Satellites could play a key role in evaluating the effectiveness of regional methane emission control by long-term monitoring. Extensive verification of the authenticity between satellite observation and ground measurements is required.