Articles | Volume 26, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12911-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-12911-2026
Research article
 | 
14 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 14 Sep 2026

Inefficient consumption of natural gas drives methane emissions from a megacity

Yuwei Zhao, Andrew Hallward-Driemeier, Luke D. Schiferl, Trey Maddaleno, Michael P. Vermeuel, Dylan B. Millet, Delphine Farmer, and Róisín Commane

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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Missing wintertime methane emissions from New York City related to combustion
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Cited articles

Benjamin, S. G., Weygandt, S. S., Brown, J. M., Hu, M., Alexander, C. R., Smirnova, T. G., Olson, J. B., James, E. P., Dowell, D. C., Grell, G. A., Lin, H., Peckham, S. E., Smith, T. L., Moninger, W. R., Kenyon, J. S., and Manikin, G. S.: A North American Hourly Assimilation and Model Forecast Cycle: The Rapid Refresh, Mon. Weather Rev., 144, 1669–1694, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-15-0242.1, 2016. a
Brasseur, G. P. and Jacob, D. J.: Atmospheric Observations and Model Evaluation, 436–486, Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316544754.011, 2017. a
Commane, R., Hallward-Driemeier, A., and Murray, L. T.: Intercomparison of commercial analyzers for atmospheric ethane and methane observations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 1431–1441, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-1431-2023, 2023. a
Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Huang, G., Guizzardi, D., Koffi, E., Muntean, M., Schieberle, C., Friedrich, R., and Janssens-Maenhout, G.: High resolution temporal profiles in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, Sci. Data, 7, 121, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0462-2, 2020. a, b, c
Crippa, M., Guizzardi, D., Pagani, F., Schiavina, M., Melchiorri, M., Pisoni, E., Graziosi, F., Muntean, M., Maes, J., Dijkstra, L., Van Damme, M., Clarisse, L., and Coheur, P.: Insights into the spatial distribution of global, national, and subnational greenhouse gas emissions in the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR v8.0), Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 2811–2830, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2811-2024, 2024. a, b, c, d
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Short summary
Reducing methane emissions offers a near-term climate mitigation opportunity. Cities contain large and often underestimated methane sources. In New York City, methane emissions peak during heating and cooling seasons, with natural gas as a dominant source. Emissions track gas consumption and show significant incomplete combustion signatures. We estimate a 1.7 % loss rate, ~300M USD/year in wasted gas, highlighting mechanisms of inefficient natural gas combustion as a future mitigation focus.
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