Oil and natural gas prospects: Middle East and North Africa

Khatib, Hisham

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.091

Cited by 43 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Most predictions assume that oil and natural gas production will increase in the Middle East during the coming decades (Balat, 2006;Khatib, 2014;Holz et al, 2015;Overland, 2015). Similarly, ship emissions around the Arabian Peninsula have been projected to grow on the short term due to intensifying traffic (Eyring et al, 2007), although new emission regulations 15 set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO, 2019), effective from 2020, might lead to a long-term decrease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is already subject to extremes of heat and drought, which are predicted to intensify (Zhang et al, 2005;Wasimi, 2010;Chenoweth et al, 2011;Tanarhte et al, 2012;Lelieveld et al, 2012;Terink et al, 2013;Donat et al, 2014;Cook et al, 2016;Lelieveld et al, 2016), and to photochemical air pollution (Lelieveld et al, 2009;Smoydzin et al, 2012;Abdelkader et al, 2015;Farahat, 2016). The Middle East accommodates densely populated urban centers with a total of 350 million people, and is a hub of fossil fuel extraction and processing with 10 more than half of the world's known oil and gas reserves (Khatib, 2014). Moreover, the waters surrounding the Arabian Peninsula are key routes of global trade and bottlenecks for marine traffic, another source of air pollution (Endresen, 2003;Eyring, 2005;Boersma et al, 2015;Mertens et al, 2018) that is expected to increase in the future (Eyring et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shipborne measurements of total OH reactivity around the Arabian Peninsula and its role in ozone chemistry

Pfannerstill¹,

Wang²,

Edtbauer³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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The Arabian Peninsula is characterized by high and increasing levels of photochemical air pollution. Strong solar irradiation, high temperatures and large anthropogenic emissions of reactive trace gases result in intense photochemical activity, especially during the summer months. However, air chemistry measurements in the region are scarce. In order to assess regional pollution sources and oxidation rates, the first ship-based direct measurements of total OH reactivity were 15 performed in summer 2017 from a vessel travelling around the peninsula during the AQABA (Air Quality and Climate Change in the Arabian Basin) campaign. Total OH reactivity is the total loss frequency of OH radicals due to all reactive compounds present in air and defines the local lifetime of OH, the most important oxidant in the troposphere. During the AQABA campaign, the total OH reactivity ranged from below the detection limit (5.4 s -1 ) over the north-western Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea) to a maximum of 32.8 ± 9.6 s -1 over the Arabian Gulf (also known as Persian Gulf) when air originated 20 from large petroleum extraction/processing facilities in Iraq and Kuwait. In the polluted marine regions, OH reactivity was broadly comparable to highly populated urban centers in intensity and composition. The permanent influence of heavy maritime traffic over the seaways of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman resulted in median OH sinks of 7.9−8.5 s -1 . Due to the rapid oxidation of direct volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were observed to be the main contributor to OH reactivity around the Arabian Peninsula (9−35 % by 25 region). Over the Arabian Gulf, alkanes and alkenes from the petroleum extraction and processing industry were an important OH sink with ~9 % of total OH reactivity each, whereas NO x and aromatic hydrocarbons (~10 % each) played a larger role in the Suez Canal, which is influenced more by ship traffic and urban emissions. We investigated the number and identity of chemical species necessary to explain the total OH sink. Taking into account ~100 individually measured chemical species, the observed total OH reactivity can typically be accounted for within the measurement uncertainty, with 30 10 dominant trace gases accounting for 20−39 % of regional total OH reactivity. The chemical regimes causing the intense ozone pollution around the Arabian Peninsula were investigated using total OH reactivity measurements. Ozone vs. OH reactivity relationships were found to be a useful tool for differentiating between ozone titration in fresh emissions and https://doi.photochemically aged air masses. Our results show that the ratio of NO x -and VOC-attributed OH reactivity was favorable for ozone formation almost all around the Arabian Peninsula, which is due to NO x and VOCs from ship exhausts and, often, oil/gas production. Therewith, total OH reactivity measurements help to elucidate the chemical processes underlying the extreme tropospheric ozone concentrations observed in sum...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shipborne measurements of total OH reactivity around the Arabian Peninsula and its role in ozone chemistry

Pfannerstill¹,

Wang²,

Edtbauer³

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…he Middle East accommodates more than half of the world's known oil and gas reserves 1 . Fossil fuel exploitation in this region is responsible for the release of large amounts of gaseous pollutants into the atmosphere, including methane (CH 4 ) 2 and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) 3 .…”

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confidence: 99%

The Red Sea Deep Water is a potent source of atmospheric ethane and propane

et al. 2020

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Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) such as ethane and propane are significant atmospheric pollutants and precursors of tropospheric ozone, while the Middle East is a global emission hotspot due to extensive oil and gas production. Here we compare in situ hydrocarbon measurements, performed around the Arabian Peninsula, with global model simulations that include current emission inventories (EDGAR) and state-of-the-art atmospheric circulation and chemistry mechanisms (EMAC model). While measurements of high mixing ratios over the Arabian Gulf are adequately simulated, strong underprediction by the model was found over the northern Red Sea. By examining the individual sources in the model and by utilizing air mass back-trajectory investigations and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) analysis, we deduce that Red Sea Deep Water (RSDW) is an unexpected, potent source of atmospheric NMHCs. This overlooked underwater source is comparable with total anthropogenic emissions from entire Middle Eastern countries, and significantly impacts the regional atmospheric chemistry.

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“…Moreover, subsidies and energy overuse are affecting their export potential (Khatib 2014". With the shale gas boom of the U. S., natural gas exports will have a global impact on both LNG importers and other exporters.…”

Section: Introduction Introduction Introduction Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%