Global Vision Media Focus
The company was featured on CCTV a total of 15 times, and its reach through Party media, central media, and local official media reached a total of 50 million people.
Analysis of the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of methane column concentration in the Permian Basin
Research Background
Effectively identifying and quantifying methane emission characteristics in oil and gas regions is a prerequisite for formulating precise emission reduction measures. Traditional methane emission monitoring mainly relies on bottom-up inventory statistical methods, which suffer from problems such as update lag, limited spatial resolution, and insufficient data accuracy. The development of satellite remote sensing technology has provided a new top-down perspective for atmospheric methane monitoring. The TROPOMI sensor, carried by the Sentinel-5P satellite, provides daily global coverage observation data of atmospheric methane column concentration (XCH4) with a spatial resolution of 7km × 3.5km, combining the advantages of high spatiotemporal coverage and relatively high spatial resolution.
This study uses Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI satellite observation data to analyze the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of XCH4 in the Permian Basin, explores the impact of oilfield development activities on the regional methane concentration distribution and its evolution, and aims to provide scientific support for the monitoring and control of methane emissions in oil and gas extraction areas.
Study area
The Permian Basin, located in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, is one of the world's largest and most actively developed oil and gas regions, covering an area of approximately 190,000–220,000 square kilometers. Multiple oil and gas layers are vertically superimposed within the basin, contributing about 44% of US crude oil production and 19% of natural gas production, and boasting over 130,000 active well sites. Intensive extraction has resulted in significant methane emissions (primarily from equipment leaks, associated gas venting, and incomplete combustion), with emission intensities of approximately 1.8%–2.9%, and numerous high-emission-rate point sources, making it a typical region for studying the spatiotemporal variations of methane in oil and gas fields.
Figure 1.Permian Basin region (Source: Google Satellite)
Research Methods
1. Stability Analysis
The coefficient of variation (CV) is a statistical measure that reflects the variability of observed values. It is calculated as the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean. The formula is as follows:
In the formula, CV is the coefficient of variation, σ is the standard deviation, and μ is the mean. A larger CV value indicates that XCH4 fluctuates more over time, while a smaller CV value indicates that XCH4 fluctuates less over time and is more stable.
2. Hurst index
The Hurst index, based on standard range (R/S) analysis, is an effective method for quantitatively describing the long-term dependence of time series information. It was first proposed by the British hydrologist Hurst. Its calculation formula is as follows:
In the formula, R is the range, S is the standard deviation, c is a constant, the observed values are divided into n subsequences, and m is any positive integer ranging from (0, n). The Hurst exponent (H) ranges from (0, 1) and is an important indicator for assessing the durability of long-term time series data.
Research Results
1. Annual variation characteristics of average XCH4 concentration
Figure 2 shows the annual average methane column concentration variation in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025, and Figure 3 shows the spatial distribution of the annual average XCH4 concentration in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025. The results show that the methane column concentration in the Permian Basin gradually increased from 1876.34 ppb in 2020 to 1915.88 ppb in 2025, an increase of 39.54 ppb, with an average annual increase of approximately 7.9 ppb. Overall, the methane concentration remains significantly higher than five years ago, indicating that the regional methane emission pressure remains high.
Figure 2. Variation of annual average methane column concentration in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025.
Figure 3.Spatial distribution of annual average XCH4 concentration in the Permian Basin, 2020–2025
2. Seasonal variation characteristics of mean XCH4 concentration
The quarterly average methane column concentration variation in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025 is shown in Figure 4, and the spatial distribution of the quarterly average XCH4 concentration in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025 is shown in Figure 5. The results show that the overall interannual trend of methane column concentration in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025 is gradually increasing, and the concentration in each quarter shows a long-term upward trend. For example, Q1 increased from 1858.17 ppb in 2020 to 1909.27 ppb in 2025, and Q4 increased from 1886.69 ppb to 1927.46 ppb. Secondly, the XCH4 concentration shows a clear seasonal fluctuation pattern: Q3 and Q4 are often higher, while Q1 and Q2 are relatively lower, and the concentration is highest in the fourth quarter of each year.
Figure 4. Quarterly average methane column concentration variation in the Permian Basin, 2020–2025
II. Analysis of XCH4 Variation Trends
The coefficient of variation (CV) of XCH4 in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025 is shown in Figure 6, and the Hurst index distribution of XCH4 in the Permian Basin from 2020 to 2025 is shown in Figure 7. The results show that the per-pixel CV of the Permian Basin is mainly distributed between 0.005 and 0.022, indicating that the XCH4 concentration time series is relatively stable with low fluctuations. The per-pixel Hurst index is mainly distributed between 0.0017 and 0.9984, with a mean of 0.59. Areas with a Hurst index greater than 0.5 account for 71.7% of the total area, indicating a strong positive and persistent trend in future XCH4 concentration changes, meaning that the XCH4 change trend in most areas will be the same as in the past.
Figure 6.Coefficient of variation (CV) of XCH4 in the Permian Basin, 2020–2025
Figure 7. Hurst index distribution of XCH4 in the Permian Basin, 2020–2025.
Industry application value
Based on Sentinel-5P's XCH4 regional monitoring and spatiotemporal trend analysis capabilities, focusing on scenarios such as macro-control, trend prediction, inventory calibration, and compliance management, its application value is as follows:
Oil and gas companies reduce emissions and increase efficiencyBased on the spatiotemporal variation patterns of methane in the region, this guides the regulation of mining intensity, efficient recovery of associated gas, and optimization of combustion efficiency, thereby contributing to environmental compliance and long-term emission reduction management.
Government regulation and carbon management: To calibrate regional methane emission inventories, improve the accuracy of greenhouse gas accounting, and support environmental total emission control, climate policy formulation, and routine atmospheric supervision.
Industry technical standardizationThis will establish a standardized process for satellite remote sensing monitoring of methane in oil and gas areas, which can be extended to oil and gas basins worldwide, promoting the operational application of integrated space-ground monitoring.
Green Finance and Risk ControlIt provides objective data for ESG assessment, green credit and low-carbon investment, and enables early prevention and control of environmental risks based on concentration trends.
Global climate governanceIt provides long-term, large-scale scientific data support for national carbon neutrality goals, international climate compliance, and global methane emission reduction cooperation.