Tracking Changes to Basin-wide Pollutant Emissions

We are continuing the long-term effort to track methane emissions through 2025 using established monitoring and analysis methods. These measurements help scientists understand how methane levels are changing over time in the region. Results from this work will be summarized in a peer-reviewed scientific publication. In addition, we will develop and analyze a multi-year dataset to examine long-term trends in other important air pollutants, including organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.
(Seth Lyman, Colleen Jones, Loknath Dhar)
Project End: Ongoing
Funding: Utah Legislation, SSD1, Utah DAQ

Drone

Project Updates

Updated March 2026

  • Major Findings:
    • Measurements show that methane emissions from oil and gas activities in the Uinta Basin have decreased over time. This long-term monitoring helps track changes in emissions and provides important information for understanding trends in regional air quality.

    • The analysis is still ongoing, but early results suggest that emissions of organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the region have also decreased over time. Continued analysis will help confirm these trends and improve understanding of how emissions are changing.

    • The observed decreases in emissions appear to be the result of a combination of regulatory requirements and voluntary actions taken by industry to reduce pollution. These efforts have likely contributed to improved air quality in the region over time.

  • Current and Upcoming Work:
    • Data expected to become available in April or May will allow us to complete a basin-wide estimate of emissions for the year 2025. This analysis will provide an updated picture of overall emissions across the Uinta Basin and help track how they are changing over time.

    • We are also exploring alternative approaches that use satellite observations available through Google Earth Engine. These methods could provide additional ways to estimate emissions across the region and help complement ground-based measurements.
    • This spring, we will complete a more comprehensive evaluation of long-term trends in organic compounds and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This analysis will help provide a clearer picture of how these important air pollutants have changed over time in the region.

    • A peer-reviewed scientific paper describing the long-term trends in methane emissions is currently in preparation and is approximately halfway complete.
  • Problems:
    • None to report.