Quantitative Results of Aerial Methane Mapping IPDA Lidar Survey of the Wattenberg Gas Field

In December 2018, 720 square miles of the Wattenberg Gas Field north of Denver, Colorado was surveyed using Ball Aerospace's Methane Monitor. Additional development of data processing techniques has allowed cloud-based processing to identify and quantify the individual methane sources in the data set. This publication describes these quantitative results including the numbers of sources of fugitive methane emissions identified, their associated emission rates, cumulative total estimated flux from the region, and special case emissions from outside of oil and gas operators' fenced facilities. The Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) LiDAR remote sensing technique is reviewed to give context to the survey data. Specific examples are illustrated using cloud-based data analytics tool-set that enables rapid display and visualization. Limitations and future directions for the technology are also presented.