Russell Dickerson, an atmospheric science professor, poses for a portrait.
Researchers have found a larger amount of atmospheric methane due to an increase in natural gas production and cows, according to a new co-authored university study published in this month’s issue of Earth’s Future.
Methane, the second most prevalent greenhouse gas substance, can also come from other sources, including swamps, humans and leaking infrastructure.
Russell Dickerson, a atmospheric and oceanic science professor at this university, co-authored the study that monitored oil and gas basins — the Eagle Ford formation in Texas and the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana. Researchers determined a gas leakage rate of about 3 to 15 percent for Eagle Ford and about 3 to 17 percent for Bakken. That adds up to about 170 million cubic feet per day for 10 percent leaks at both sites, according to energy policy publisher E&E Publishing LLC.
The study collected data from 2006 to 2011 using a European orbiting remote-sensing instrument named SCIAMACHY to measure the emissions from above.
The infrared radiation the Earth emits into space has a characteristic spectrum that can reveal how much radiation is being absorbed by methane between the planet and a satellite, Dickerson said.
Natural gas, which is composed primarily of methane, is intrinsically cleaner than coal when used for electricity and power, he said.
But if the natural gas is not mined, compressed and transported with a leakage rate below 3 percent, then “you might as well just burn coal,” Dickerson said.
Though methane is not harmful to humans in small doses, large quantities in the atmosphere can change the delicate balance of radiation that controls our climate, he said.
Methane also can change the way the atmosphere rids itself of other trace gases, which causes the greenhouse gases and pollutants to build up more.
“There’s been a lot of hydraulic fracturing, which is great for generating hydrocarbons for the industry, and it has the potential to be a big improvement over coals in terms of greenhouse gases,” Dickerson said.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is the process of drilling into the ground and injecting chemically infused fluid at high pressure so shale rock formations shatter and release natural gas. Fracking provides fuel, but can also cause area waterways and drinking water to become contaminated, said Dale Johnson, this university’s farm management specialist.
Weighing the consequences of fracking versus other energy sources is what will decide whether fracking comes to this state, Johnson said.
A global increase in dairy and beef cows also has caused an increase in atmospheric methane, Dickerson said.
Besides the methane from cow flatulence, methane in manure is also a large factor.
For this, Johnson cited Mason Dixon Farms Dairy, which he believes is one of the most technologically advanced farm operations in the country. The farm, located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, collects methane from manure to use in a generator.
At this university’s dairy farm in Clarksville, Maryland, cow manure is flushed into a pit, then separated into a two-lagoon system via a strainer, said dairy program manager Brian Spielman.
Although the manure is composted after it is flushed from the barn, most of the methane is still released into the atmosphere.
“I have heard of people covering manure and putting a structure over it to catch the methane and turn it into energy for electricity,” Spielman said. “There’s been some talk about it, but nobody’s ever taken the plunge to do it.”
People can reduce the volume of methane they indirectly produce by refraining from eating meat or by giving cattle certain antibiotics, Dickerson said.
“Become a vegetarian, create more careful engineering and suppress out natural gas,” he said. “I think it’s solvable.”
