Los Angelenos breathed a sigh of relief last month when the Porter Ranch methane gas leak was finally brought under control. But many cities, Los Angeles included, continue to emit methane from a variety of sources, many of which haven’t been conclusively identified. In a new paper published this week in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, University of Utah biologists Susan Bush and Jim Ehleringer helped track down methane sources in the LA Basin. Although some hotspots could be attributed to biological sources (such as cattle) three-quarters of previously-uninventoried methane emissions came from fossil sources.

Susan Bush, 801-587-3405, sbush@biology.utah.edu
Jim Ehleringer, 801-581-7623, jim.ehleringer@utah.edu