Insights into Elevated Methane Emissions from an Australian Open-Cut Coal Mine Using Two Independent Airborne Techniques

Governments and industries worldwide are seeking methods to accurately estimate their methane inventories, particularly in the open-cut coal mining sector, where quantifying facility-level emissions remains challenging and robust verification methods are not yet widespread. Here, we compare methane emission rates estimated from two aircraft-based measurement platforms with operator-reported emissions from an open-cut coal mine in the Bowen Basin (Queensland, Australia). Coarse-resolution satellite-based data identified the mine as a significant emitter, making it ideal for case studies using airborne in situ and remote sensing platforms that provide high-resolution measurements to isolate mine-scale emissions. Using airborne in situ measurements, we estimated methane emission rates of 14.0 ± 3.3 (±2σ) t h–1 during May and June 2022. In September 2023, airborne in situ and remote sensing measurements yielded consistent emission rate estimates of 9.6 ± 1.9 (±2σ) t h–1 and 11.3 ± 5.3 (±2σ) t h–1, respectively. If sustained, these rates would equate to annual emissions of 1.5–4.2 Mt of CO2 equivalents (CO2-e) year–1, 3–8 times higher than operator-reported annual Scope 1 emissions (0.53–0.54 Mt of CO2-e year–1). Beyond highlighting the potential for under-reporting of emissions at this mine, our results indicate that aircraft-based technologies are valuable tools for supporting accurate reporting of facility-scale methane emissions from open-cut coal mines.

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Publication Details

Journal
Environmental Science & Technology Letters
Published
2025-03-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c01063
Citations
4
Primary Topic
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.42

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article

Insights into Elevated Methane Emissions from an Australian Open-Cut Coal Mine Using Two Independent Airborne Techniques

Mei Bai, Sven Krautwurst, Adrian Murphy, Jakob Borchardt et al.
4 citations
Environmental Science & Technology Letters
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
4.42
article

Insights into Elevated Methane Emissions from an Australian Open-Cut Coal Mine Using Two Independent Airborne Techniques

Mei Bai, Sven Krautwurst, Adrian Murphy, Jakob Borchardt, Mark F. Lunt, Wolfgang Lieff, H. Bovensmann, Bryce F. J. Kelly, Konstantin Gerilowski, Hartmut Boesch, Jörg Hacker, W. Junkermann, Oke Huhs, Josua Schindewolf, Stephen J. Harris, Shakti Chakravarty, Andrew McGrath, R. A. Field, Martin Kumm, John P. Burrows, Jakob Thoböll
article en
4 citations

Abstract

Governments and industries worldwide are seeking methods to accurately estimate their methane inventories, particularly in the open-cut coal mining sector, where quantifying facility-level emissions remains challenging and robust verification methods are not yet widespread. Here, we compare methane emission rates estimated from two aircraft-based measurement platforms with operator-reported emissions from an open-cut coal mine in the Bowen Basin (Queensland, Australia). Coarse-resolution satellite-based data identified the mine as a significant emitter, making it ideal for case studies using airborne in situ and remote sensing platforms that provide high-resolution measurements to isolate mine-scale emissions. Using airborne in situ measurements, we estimated methane emission rates of 14.0 ± 3.3 (±2σ) t h–1 during May and June 2022. In September 2023, airborne in situ and remote sensing measurements yielded consistent emission rate estimates of 9.6 ± 1.9 (±2σ) t h–1 and 11.3 ± 5.3 (±2σ) t h–1, respectively. If sustained, these rates would equate to annual emissions of 1.5–4.2 Mt of CO2 equivalents (CO2-e) year–1, 3–8 times higher than operator-reported annual Scope 1 emissions (0.53–0.54 Mt of CO2-e year–1). Beyond highlighting the potential for under-reporting of emissions at this mine, our results indicate that aircraft-based technologies are valuable tools for supporting accurate reporting of facility-scale methane emissions from open-cut coal mines.

Environmental Science & Technology LettersVol. 12(4)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (DE), Jade University of Applied Sciences (DE), Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Environmental Defense Fund (US), The University of Melbourne (AU), Flinders University (AU), University of Bremen (DE), United Nations Environment Programme (KE), UNSW Sydney (AU), Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Bremen (DE), Environmental Earth Sciences (AU), Ecosystem Sciences (AU)
Freie Hansestadt Bremen, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Universität Bremen
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
4.42
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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