Identification of Methane Emission Sources in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area

Identification of Methane Emission Sources in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area

Jonathan R. Hansford ^a, Doyeon Ahn ^b, Ross J. Salawitch ^{b, c, d},

Xinrong Ren ^{c, e}, Mark D. Cohen^e, Russell R. Dickerson ^c

^a Department of Computer Science

University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

^b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,

University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

^c  Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science

University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

^d Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center

University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

^e National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Air Resources Laboratory, College Park, MD 20740

            We investigate observations of methane obtained over the Baltimore Washington metropolitan area by an airborne in situ sensor during February 2015, as part of the Fluxes of Atmospheric Greenhouse Gases in Maryland (FLAGG-MD) campaign. The analysis will focus on attribution of release of methane by point sources, such as the Brown Station Landfill in Prince George's County and the Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment facility in Washington D.C. using the NOAA HYSPLIT air parcel trajectory model.  We will also compare and contrast the release of methane from Baltimore City to that from Washington D.C.