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We have recently completed a methane emissions inventory for the New England region. Methane emissions were calculated to be 0.91 Tg yr-1, with wetlands and landfills dominating all other sources. Wetlands are estimated to produce 0.33 Tg CH4 yr-1, of which 74% come from Maine. Active landfills emit an estimated 0.28 Tg CH4 yr-1, 60% of which are generated from twelve landfills. Although uncertainty in the estimate is greater, emissions from closed landfills are on the same order of magnitude as active landfills and wetlands; 0.25 Tg CH4 yr-1. Sources of moderate magnitude include ruminant animals (0.05 Tg CH4 yr-1) and residential wood combustion (0.03 Tg CH4 yr-1). Motor vehicles, natural gas, and wastewater treatment make only minor contributions. New England is heavily forested and the soil uptake of atmospheric methane in upland forests, 0.06 Tg CH4 yr-1, decreases emissions from soils by about 18%. Although uncertainties remain, our estimates indicate that even in a highly urbanized region such as New England, natural sources of methane make the single greatest contribution to total emissions, with state totals varying between 8% (Massachusetts) and 92% (Maine). Because emissions from only a few large landfills dominate anthropogenic sources, mitigation strategies focused on these discrete point sources should result in significant improvements in regional air quality. Current federal regulations mandate landfill gas collection at only the largest sites. Expanding recovery efforts to moderately sized landfills through either voluntary compliance or further regulations offers the best opportunity to substantially reduce atmospheric methane in New England. In the short term, however, the large contribution from closed, poorly regulated landfills may make the attribution of air quality improvements difficult. Mitigation efforts toward these landfills should also be a priority. more...

The mean isotopic composition of CH4 emitted from six New England (United States) landfills was 13C and D enriched (−48.1 to −50.4‰ and −273 to −281‰) relative to anoxic zone landfill CH4 (mean values of −55.9 to −56.2‰ and −296 to −300‰) owing to the oxidation of methane as it was transported from the landfill to the atmosphere through the soil cap. The fraction of methane oxidized f0 during its passage through the soil cap was calculated from the degree of 13C enrichment in emitted CH4 relative to anoxic zone CH4 in conjunction with values determined for the preference of soil methane oxidizing bacteria for 12CH4 over 13CH4 (α = 1.022 ± 0.008). Mean values for methane oxidation in six landfills were from 24 to 35% of the total flux through the soil during the warm season, depending upon how the data were grouped. Our results bracket recent estimates of methane oxidation of about 30% in the warm summer period produced using a model with the input terms of soil temperature, moisture, depth, and oxygen concentration. Because of variations in the response of methane oxidation to temperature at these New England sites, our study is consistent with the modeling results of Czepiel et al. [1996b] that the best estimate for the annual value for methane oxidation in the landfills considered is about 10%. more...

Field measurement of landfill methane emissions indicates natural variability spanning more than 2 seven orders of magnitude, from approximately 0.0004 to more than 4000 g m{sub -2} day{sup -1}. This wide range reflects net emissions resulting from production (methanogenesis), consumption (methanotrophic oxidation), and gaseous transport processes. The determination of an {open_quotes}average{close_quotes} emission rate for a given field site requires sampling designs and statistical techniques which consider spatial and temporal variability. Moreover, particularly at sites with pumped gas recovery systems, it is possible for methanotrophic microorganisms in aerated cover soils to oxidize all of the methane from landfill sources below and, additionally, to oxidize methane diffusing into cover soils from atmospheric sources above. In such cases, a reversed soil gas concentration gradient is observed in shallow cover soils, indicating bidirectional diffusional transport to the depth of optimum methane oxidation. Rates of landfill methane oxidation from field and laboratory incubation studies range up to 166 g m{sup -2} day{sup -1} among the highest for any natural setting, providing an effective natural control on net emissions. Estimates of worldwide landfill methane emissions to the atmosphere have ranged from 9 to 70 Tg yr{sup -1}, differing mainly in assumed methane yields from estimated quantities of landfilled refuse. At highly controlled landfill sites in developed countries, landfill methane is often collected via vertical wells or horizontal collectors. Recovery of landfill methane through engineered systems can provide both environmental and energy benefits by mitigating subsurface migration, reducing surface emissions, and providing an alternative energy resource for industrial boiler use, on-site electrical generation, or upgrading to a substitute natural gas. more...