A High-Resolution Inventory of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in New York State

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Atmospheric Chemistry
• Climate Change Research

Background:

• Growing concern over anthropogenic methane emissions drives regulatory action, such as New York State's emission reduction mandates.
• Accurate, high-resolution methane emission inventories are essential for effective air quality management and climate change mitigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a spatially disaggregated inventory of anthropogenic methane emissions for New York State in 2020.
• To provide data at 100 m horizontal and monthly temporal resolution to support regional modeling efforts.

Main Methods:

• Compiled and distributed methane emissions data for 82 source categories from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) inventories.
• Compared the developed inventory with existing gridded inventories, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) v8.

Main Results:

• The study presents a 2020 methane emissions inventory for New York State at 100 m resolution.
• NYSDEC and NYSERDA inventories estimate 38% and 170% higher total methane emissions, respectively, compared to EPA and EDGAR v8 inventories, largely due to fossil fuel and landfill emissions.
• The developed inventory shows favorable comparison with the New York City Urban Area inventory.

Conclusions:

• This high-resolution methane emissions inventory is foundational for local-scale analyses and modeling in New York.
• The findings are critical for subnational entities aiming to achieve methane emission reduction targets and improve air quality.