Climate and Sustainability Projects

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Sonoma Technology is conducting a comprehensive assessment of annual methane emissions from the oil and gas basins of the San Joaquin Valley, California, and Denver, Colorado, using a multi-tiered measurement and analysis system. The project will use a variety of measurement tools to conduct a comprehensive multi-tiered assessment of annual methane emissions from oil and gas operations, including TROPOMI satellite data, ground-based monitoring, ground-level mobile flux measurement using the FluxSense mobile platform, and the GHGSat satellite methane super-emitter survey. This will be coupled with a bottom-up inventory analysis using the VISTA methane inventory for the two basins, as well as extensive inverse modeling with TROPOMI and ground-network data. The project will also provide a summary of the super emitter contribution to the regional oil and gas methane emissions inventories, as well as guidance on deployment strategies for different systems for comprehensive assessments of regions methane emissions.

Sonoma Technology partnered with GHGSat, FluxSense, the University of California, Riverside, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, on this project.

Sonoma Technology has worked for many years with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to develop updated versions of the Caltrans Construction Emissions Tool (CAL-CET). CAL-CET helps analysts estimate pollutant emissions from construction work. CAL-CET updates expanded on prior work we completed in collaboration with faculty and researchers at U.C. Davis, including numerous tool development and analysis efforts to evaluate construction-related activities and emissions.

CAL-CET helps analysts assess roadway, bridge, and other transportation infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure construction and maintenance involves on- and off-road equipment such as diesel-powered backhoes, graders, and excavators. Such construction work emits fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particulate matter, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) that contribute to the formation of NO2, PM2.5, and ozone, and other pollutants such as greenhouse gases (GHGs). CAL-CET enables Caltrans staff to evaluate equipment fleet composition, activity, and fuel consumption to estimate emissions from construction work.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), and there is significant interest in understanding, quantifying, and reducing methane emissions from the “upstream” oil and gas (O&G) industry – the exploration and development of petroleum resources. This includes emissions from leaking or malfunctioning equipment and routine methane venting from wellhead-related equipment and operations, such as the use of pneumatic devices, glycol dehydrators, compressors, vessels, and tanks. In Canada, the Government of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan calls for a reduction of methane gas emissions from upstream O&G operations by 45% (relative to 2014 levels) by 2025. 

PTAC funded Sonoma Technology to conduct pilot tests and analyze next-generation methane sensors to identify and quantify emissions at upstream O&G facilities. The term “next-generation” refers to emerging sensor technology with the potential to meet O&G industry needs at substantially lower costs compared to traditional methane measurement systems.
We used portable methane (Aeris Technologies’ MIRA Pico series) and meteorological sensors at a well pad near Drayton Valley in Alberta, Canada. The Drayton Valley well pad had three pump jacks with adjoining well shacks and equipment, and six production tanks. The pump jacks operated continuously during the study. The site was ideal because it had (1) confirmed methane emissions, (2) a layout that allowed for good instrument siting relative to the predominant winds, and (3) no other potential methane sources within 1.5 km. 

The deployment demonstrated the utility of the package of methane and meteorological sensors by characterizing the relative strength and location of methane emissions at the site. Although methane was the primary focus of the study, the sensors also measured ethane (C2H6) to further aide the identification of potential methane sources. 

Sonoma Technology scientists evaluated the sensor package before and after deployment using gases of known concentration and composition, and ran controlled release experiments prior to deployment. The experiments provided important data to evaluate sensor use in the field and emission quantification methods. We also used the data collected to complete inverse dispersion modeling to demonstrate source identification methods. 

The project demonstrated the ability of these portable, next-generation sensors, and showed how sensor data could help estimate emission source strengths and locations when coupled with inverse dispersion modeling. The measurements also provided a benchmark upon which data quality objectives can be established for similar new and emerging methane sensor technologies.

Airborne particles, such as aerosols, influence global climate in many ways, including atmospherically and by depositing onto the earth’s surface. Sonoma Technology is working with Purdue University researchers to better understand how particles affect Earth’s climate system. Our work, supported by the DOE’s ASR program, uses data collected during DOE field studies to help ASR reduce uncertainty in global and regional climate simulations and projections. A key focus for our research is to improve understanding of how particle deposits on snowpacks affect Earth’s albedo. 

We are evaluating particle data from several DOE “Atmospheric Radiation Measurement” (ARM) studies, including the Surface-Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL), the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER), and the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in the Eastern North Atlantic (ACE-ENA) studies. Sonoma Technology is completing comprehensive chemical imaging (CI) and molecular characterization of particle samples. We are leveraging X-ray spectroscopy and microscopy measurements at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s “Advanced Light Source,” analytical capabilities at Purdue University, and collaborations with leading research groups around the world. 

We have examined elemental and molecular composition, mixing state, size, and morphology for individual particles, along with molecular-level characterization of complex light-absorbing organic constituents in bulk aerosol and snow samples. We have also completed analyses of trace gas, meteorology, cloud, and other measurement data available via the ARM program. Taken together, these analyses enable us to investigate relevant aerosol characteristics, aerosol-precipitation interactions, and changes in surface energy balance induced by snowpack deposits. These measurements are used to inform DOE’s understanding of cloud nuclei budgets, aerosol radiative properties, and the link between snowpack albedo and atmospheric deposition of particulate matter. This work is advancing scientific understanding of the interactions among emissions, atmospheric particles, precipitation, land, and earth’s albedo, and the overall hydrological cycle.

In recent years, California’s fire season has gotten longer, and the state has seen some of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in recorded history. Numerous agencies, such as the California Air Resources Board, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the World Meteorological Organization, have determined climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfires. 

The Cloverdale California Fire Protection District and the City of Healdsburg, California, each hired Sonoma Technology, in partnership with the Wildfire Services Group, to create a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). A CWPP, as defined by the 2003 U.S. Healthy Forest Restoration Act, is a community plan that is developed collaboratively, identifies and prioritizes fuel reduction projects, and recommends measures to reduce the ignitability of structures. As noted by California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal, “A local CWPP is one of the most effective ways to influence where and how… agencies implement fuel reduction projects.” 

To help Cloverdale and Healdsburg prepare for and mitigate wildfire events, Sonoma Technology scientists collaborated with fire agencies, county officials, community members, and county, state, and federal land management agencies to create each of the CWPPs. These plans provide science-based assessments of wildfire hazard and threats to homes in Cloverdale’s and Healdsburg’s wildland urban interface (WUI). 

We used fire-behavior modeling and geographic information system (GIS) technology to develop hazard, asset, and risk assessments. Sonoma Technology geospatial experts used high-resolution fuels information and identified areas of significant fire hazard. We also collected and processed a wide array of geospatial data to help develop online interactive community maps. Fire District officials and community stakeholders used our hazard assessment findings and the interactive maps to create action plans for regional fire protection. 

Each CWPP provides fire agencies, land managers, and other stakeholders with clear, actionable tasks to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the WUI, educate and prepare residents for wildland fires, and protect and enhance economic assets and ecological resources.

As climate change increases the frequency and severity of wildfires, public safety officials are improving fire evacuation strategies. In California, where some wildfires have overwhelmed community preparedness and evacuation plans, state law now mandates improved planning efforts. Local governments must (a) identify residential areas without adequate exit routes for evacuations, (b) overcome those issues by including needed mitigation measures in their general plans, and (c) plan evacuation route capacity needs under a range of emergency scenarios.

In partnership with the MWPA, we helped officials in Marin County, California, prioritize areas of concern and identify mitigation actions. We performed a state-of-the-science literature review to understand key factors contributing to civilian fatalities during wildfire evacuations. These key factors included, for example, failure to receive timely notifications, heavy traffic burdens, rapid fire movement, lack of vehicle access, and low risk perception by evacuees. We then aggregated high-resolution spatial datasets from fire departments, emergency services, and other local officials, and assessed on-the-ground conditions against the literature review findings. We also used advanced software tools to simulate fires and evacuation outcomes for several Marin County cases. Our dynamic evacuation modeling addressed fire behavior, communication and decision (C&D) actions, and the resulting traffic and evacuation activity. Our case studies covered a diverse range of fire environments and fuel types, residential and commercial areas, roadway characteristics, and traffic patterns. Throughout the project, we engaged with a Technical Advisory Team comprised of fire, transportation, and planning agency officials to ensure meaningful results and develop realistic mitigation actions.

Our analysis provided a “current conditions” assessment of evacuation difficulties associated with fire and fuels (vegetation), communication and human decision-making, and traffic flow. In our findings we produced a list of actions to reduce risk and improve evacuation outcomes, including fuel reduction along evacuation routes, fire-resilient shelters and temporary staging areas, shelter-in-place protocols for school campuses and other large government and commercial facilities, and enhanced evacuation alerts and notifications. Local officials can use the study’s high-resolution findings to inform mitigation projects, policies, and pilot studies in order to improve evacuation outcomes. Our project team included researchers from the University of California (Berkeley), Fehr & Peers, Reax Engineering, and the Spatial Informatics Group.

The Clean Air Act allows California, home to the largest U.S. automotive market, to set its own vehicle emissions standards; it also empowers other states to adopt the California requirements. The Act’s provisions have helped controls issued by California yield widespread benefits across many states. In recent years, California has adopted landmark requirements to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). As a result, many U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec have considered adopting the California ZEV standards to reduce urban air pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

NESCAUM, a coalition of state air agencies, has helped jurisdictions in the U.S. work to adopt the California standards. NESCAUM contracted with ICCT and Sonoma Technology (as an ICCT subcontractor) to complete in-depth assessments tailored to each jurisdiction. Sonoma Technology modeled how the California requirements would change vehicle fleets and emissions over time. We assessed car and truck requirements, including California’s (a) Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, which requires the sale of at least 30% zero-emission trucks by 2030; (b) Heavy-Duty Vehicle (HDV) Omnibus rule, which requires a 90% reduction in NOx emissions from Model Year 2027 engines; (c) Phase 2 GHG rule, which sets standards to improve the efficiency of tractor-trailers; and (d) Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which requires increased light-duty ZEV sales over time – at least 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035.

Sonoma Technology provided modeling and analytical services to CAL FIRE to support quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions benefits associated with two sets of projects; the CAL FIRE California Climate Investments (CCI) Forest Health Program projects, and the Fire Prevention Priority Projects. The GHG quantification for each project is required by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), CCI, and funding guidelines for administering agencies. 

The Fire Prevention Priority Projects are 35 projects that protect 200 of California’s most wildfire-vulnerable communities. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered these projects to be immediately expedited when he proclaimed a state of emergency throughout California in March 2019. 

The Forest Health Program projects are 39 large landscape-scale projects totaling over $150 million in funding that seek to restore forest health, protect watersheds, promote carbon storage, and deliver other economic, environmental, and public health benefits. 

Following the Forest Health Program Quantification Methodology developed by CAL FIRE and CARB, Sonoma Technology scientists used various forestry and fire ecology models and carbon stock and GHG calculators to quantify the net GHG emissions benefits associated with these projects.