1,6,1,- 1University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany (krautwurst@iup.physik.uni-bremen.de)
- 2UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), Paris, France
- 3School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- 4Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia
- 5College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- 6Environmental Defense Fund, Perth, WA, Australia
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
Coal mining is a significant human-induced source of atmospheric methane (CH4) on a global scale, contributing notably to national emissions in coal-producing countries such as Australia. Australian mining operators use tiered, bottom-up methods aligned with IPCC guidelines and implemented under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) scheme to estimate emissions from underground and surface mines. However, underground mine emissions have not been systematically validated by comparison with top-down atmospheric measurements, and surface mine emission factors lack empirical support. Studies have revealed significant discrepancies between top-down and bottom-up estimates at investigated surface mines, prompting concerns about the effectiveness of the current regulatory methods.
In 2023, two independent airborne measurement strategies were used simultaneously by deploying two aircraft to quantify CH4 emission rates from coal mining in the Bowen Basin (Queensland, Australia) as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) study. A total of 53 emission rate quantifications for 16 coal mines were achieved from the measurements collected within a 31-day campaign. Comparing these estimates with operator-based estimates from underground mines revealed no significant bias at the facility- and aggregated-level, with operator estimates being well within the uncertainties of the airborne estimates. However, a comparison with surface mines showed significant biases at both the facility- and aggregated-level, exceeding the uncertainties of the airborne estimates.
Globally, these results add to growing evidence that Tier 3 approaches based on direct measurements are suitable for estimating fugitive CH₄ emission rates from underground mines. By contrast, the results from surface mines suggests that IPCC Tier 2 and 3 inventory methods (i.e. use of emission factors and potentially coal gas distribution models) for surface mining require careful implementation and independent verification.
This poster will present and discuss the results of the measurements taken in the Bowen Basin.
Mei Bai (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia; The University of Melbourne, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, Parkville, VIC, Australia), Hartmut Boesch (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Heinrich Bovensmann (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Tarra Brain (School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia), John Philip Burrows (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Shakti Chakravarty (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia), Robert A. Field (UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), Paris, France), Rebecca E. Fisher (Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK), James L. France (Environmental Defense Fund, Perth, WA, Australia; Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK), Konstantin Gerilowski (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Oke Huhs (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Wolfgang Junkermann (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia; Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany), Bryce F.J. Kelly (School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia), Martin Kumm (Jade University of Applied Sciences, Wilhelmshaven, Germany), Mathias Lanoisellé (Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, UK), Wolfgang Lieff (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia), Andrew McGrath (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia), Adrian Murphy (Airborne Research Australia, Parafield, SA, Australia), Thomas Röckmann (Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CC, the Netherlands), Zoe Salmon (School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia), Josua Schindewolf (Alfred Wegener Institute - Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany), Jakob Thoböll (University of Bremen, Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP), Bremen, Germany), Carina van der Veen (Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CC, the Netherlands)
How to cite: Krautwurst, S., Harris, S. J., Hacker, J., Lunt, M., and Borchardt, J. and the BBCMap23 Team: Evaluation of coal mine methane inventory methods using aircraft-based platforms in the Bowen Basin, Australia, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10540, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10540, 2026.
