The voracious demand for energy due to the growth of megacities has resulted in a rush to exploit unconventional resources such as shale deposits of oil and gas with fracking techniques. The environmental implications of this development have yet to be fully explored, including the impacts of oil and gas site emissions on air quality. Ozone and toxic air pollution from oil and gas activities may adversely affect both crops and livestock. A high resolution 3D Eulerian chemical transport model has been developed with the ability to simulate the near source air quality impacts of reactive species emitted by oil and gas facilities, as well as to infer the magnitude, timing, and location of facility emissions based on contemporary real-time measurements of ambient air pollution conducted outside facility fence lines. Applications of this model of interest to agriculturalists will be demonstrated. The possibility of expanding the model to include full multi-media (air, water, soil) simulation capabilities will also be discussed.

Oil and gas exploration impacts on air quality and their potential implications for agriculture

246th National Meeting (2013)

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