Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfills Using Eddy Covariance

Grantees: Zutao Yang – Auburn University, Xueying You – State University of New York at Albany

Amount: $249,773

Project Duration: 2 years

The proposal addresses a central challenge in waste management and climate policy: the lack of accurate, direct, and validated measurements of methane emissions from landfills. Existing emission models and satellite observations are widely used to inform policy and operational decisions, but they are constrained by gaps in long-term, high-frequency data, limited real-world validation against measured emissions, and uncertainty around the accuracy of newer satellite monitoring platforms. 

To address this, the research proposes using the eddy covariance method, a field-based measurement approach capable of generating continuous, high-frequency methane flux data over large areas with relatively low uncertainty. The study will deploy a stationary measurement tower at a landfill near Auburn, Alabama for a full year to capture detailed temporal patterns in emissions, including daily and seasonal variability. In a second phase, the system will be adapted into a mobile platform and deployed at multiple additional landfills for short-term measurements, coordinated with satellite overpasses. The collected data will be processed and analyzed to characterize emission dynamics, examine underlying drivers, and directly compare measured emissions against both established models and satellite observations. 

The research expects to produce a robust, high-resolution dataset of landfill methane emissions across different time scales and sites, enabling a clearer understanding of how emissions vary and what factors influence them. It also aims to determine how well commonly used models and emerging satellite systems align with real-world measurements, effectively testing their accuracy and reliability. 

Practically, this work could strengthen the credibility of methane emissions data used in policy, regulation, and landfill management by providing validated benchmarks. Improved alignment between measured data, models, and satellite observations would support more informed decision-making, better monitoring strategies, and potentially more effective mitigation efforts in the waste sector, particularly as methane reduction becomes an increasing priority in climate action.