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Measuring and managing reservoir greenhouse gas emissions
Citation:
Beaulieu, J. Measuring and managing reservoir greenhouse gas emissions. To be Presented at ECI Seminars, South Bend, IN, March 15, 2016.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
Methane (CH4) is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas with a heat trapping capacity 34 times greater than that of carbon dioxide on a 100 year time scale. Known anthropogenic CH4 sources include livestock production, rice agriculture, landfills, and natural gas mining, but the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory underestimates CH4 emissions in the United States, suggesting that the inventory is missing additional sources. One known source of CH4 not currently included in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory is emissions from reservoirs. This webinar will present current EPA research in this area, including 1) a case study of a reservoir in Ohio, 2) an analysis of the factors controlling CH4 emission rates at the global scale, and 3) research designed to identify possible mitigation actions.