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Fusé VS, Gere JI, Urteaga D, Juliarena MP, Guzmán SA, Gratton R. Atmospheric Methane Concentration Allows Estimating Natural Gas Leaks in Heating Systems in Tandil, Argentina. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2019; 48:762-769. [PMID: 31180426 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2018.05.0220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Residential use of natural gas (NG) for heating and cooking purposes may contribute significantly to CH emissions to the atmosphere. To analyze whether the NG demand in the city of Tandil, Argentina, contributes to the increase in atmospheric CH concentration, we conducted systematic collections of time-integrated air samples for a year in six city sites with different population and built-up density. Some meteorological parameters and NG consumption were registered. Atmospheric CH concentration ranged from 1.12 to 1.95 mg m (1.72 to 2.84 ppm) with significant seasonal and spatial variations. In all the sites, with the exception of a peri-urban site bordering rural areas, the maximum CH concentrations were measured during the coldest months, with a statistically significant correlation between residential and commercial NG consumption with respect to air temperature ( < 0.001, = -0.84 to -0.69) and atmospheric CH concentration ( < 0.05, = 0.58 to 0.94). In Argentina, the most popular home heating system is the balanced-draft heater, which has a thermal efficiency of 39 to 63%. This low efficiency allows us to attribute the highest atmospheric CH concentration found during the coldest months mainly to the leaks of the heating systems and the greater residential use of NG. Repairing the gas leaks by increasing thermal efficiency or replacing heating systems with more efficient ones will bring economic, environmental, and health benefits. This study is important for our country where the dependence on the use of NG from heating systems is significant.
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Molina V, Eissler Y, Cornejo M, Galand PE, Dorador C, Hengst M, Fernandez C, Francois JP. Distribution of greenhouse gases in hyper-arid and arid areas of northern Chile and the contribution of the high altitude wetland microbiome (Salar de Huasco, Chile). Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2018; 111:1421-1432. [PMID: 29626330 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-018-1078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Northern Chile harbors different bioclimatic zones including hyper-arid and arid ecosystems and hotspots of microbial life, such as high altitude wetlands, which may contribute differentially to greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). In this study, we explored ground level GHG distribution and the potential role of a wetland situated at 3800 m.a.s.l, and characterized by high solar radiation < 1600 W m-2, extreme temperature ranges (-12 to 24 °C) and wind stress (< 17 m s-1). The water source of the wetland is mainly groundwater springs, which generates streams and ponds surrounded by peatlands. These sites support a rich microbial aquatic life including diverse bacteria and archaea communities, which transiently form more complex structures, such as microbial mats. In this study, GHG were measured in the water and above ground level air at the wetland site and along an elevation gradient in different bioclimatic areas from arid to hyper-arid zones. The microbiome from the water and sediments was described by high-throughput sequencing 16S rRNA and rDNA genes. The results indicate that GHG at ground level were variable along the elevation gradient potentially associated with different bioclimatic zones, reaching high values at the high Andean steppe and variable but lower values in the Atacama Desert and at the wetland. The water areas of the wetland presented high concentrations of CH4 and CO2, particularly at the spring areas and in air bubbles below microbial mats. The microbial community was rich (> 40 phyla), including archaea and bacteria potentially active in the different matrices studied (water, sediments and mats). Functional microbial groups associated with GHG recycling were detected at low frequency, i.e., < 2.5% of total sequences. Our results indicate that hyper-arid and arid areas of northern Chile are sites of GHG exchange associated with various bioclimatic zones and particularly in aquatic areas of the wetland where this ecosystem could represent a net sink of N2O and a source for CH4 and CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Molina
- Programa de Biodiversidad y Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Observatorio de Ecología Microbiana, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile.
| | - Yoanna Eissler
- Centro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales, Instituto de Química y Bioquímica, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Marcela Cornejo
- Escuela de Ciencias del Mar e Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Pierre E Galand
- Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, 66650, Banyuls/Mer, France
| | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Antofagasta & Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile.,Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Santiago, Chile
| | - Martha Hengst
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Camila Fernandez
- Laboratoire d'Océanographie microbienne (LOMIC), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, 66650, Banyuls/Mer, France.,FONDAP INCAR Center (15110027), PFB-31 COPAS Sur Austral, Departamento de Oceanografía, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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