High levels of methane concentrations are marked by warm colors in this example.
Methane-emitting hot spots were identified across San Diego County. High methane concentrations were found near known emission sources, including landfills, power plants, and natural gas distribution centers. Many methane-emitting hot spots of unknown origin, are likely fugitive methane emissions from broken pipelines of natural gases. Together, known and unidentified emission sources are likely to have been releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, more than the state inventory record to the atmosphere.
