California Methane Plume Maps from Airborne Survey 2016-2017

Maps of methane plumes were created from airborne spectrometer data collected over California in 2016 and 2017. The survey targeted at least 60% of known methane point-source infrastructure across energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. This dataset was produced by ORNL_CLOUD to support scientific understanding of regional methane budgets and inform emission reduction policies.

Use Cases

• Quantifying methane emissions from specific facilities like natural gas production sites.
• Validating and improving regional greenhouse gas emission inventories.
• Informing regulatory policy and mitigation planning for the energy and waste sectors.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of methane plumes relative to known infrastructure.
• Supporting research on atmospheric chemistry and methane's role in climate change.

Strengths

• Survey design targeted a minimum of 60% of known methane point-source infrastructure in California.
• Data derived from specialized airborne spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) overflights.
• Emissions are attributed to specific infrastructure elements across three primary economic sectors.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 2017-11-13 and 2026-03 13.
• The exact license terms under 'other-license-specified' are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Methane plume locations derived from Next-Generation Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) overflights during the California Methane Survey.

Time Range

2016-2017

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:48:51.081677

Geography

State of California, USA