Facility-Scale Detection and Quantification of Gas Flaring Using Imaging Spectrometers

Abstract

Globally, over 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas are flared each year, according to the VIIRS Nightfire (VNF) data product derived from satellite observations by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the most widely used instrument for global flare monitoring. Although VIIRS routinely tracks global flaring activity through nighttime observations, its coarse spatial resolution limits the ability to attribute flares to specific facilities or operators. Here, we present flare detection and quantification using high spatial resolution imaging spectrometers. We demonstrate that NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) is capable of detecting flares at individual flare stacks with a probability of detection (POD) comparable to that of VIIRS. We further attribute the detected flare stacks in the Permian Basin during 2023 to individual operators and evaluate EMIT’s potential to estimate annual flared gas volumes at the operator level. We find good correspondence between the EMIT-observed radiant heat values and reported annual flared gas volume on the operator level. Despite limited temporal sampling relative to VIIRS, EMIT achieves accuracy comparable to VIIRS-based annual flaring estimates, while providing operator-level attribution. This highlights the value of high-resolution imaging spectrometers in regulatory and mitigation efforts by adding insights at the operator level that can complement existing VIIRS observations, enabling more comprehensive flare monitoring and analysis.