Hundreds of oil wells were drilled along Oil Creek in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, birthing the modern oil industry. No longer in operation, many wells are now classified as abandoned, and, due to their age, their locations are either unknown or inaccurately recorded. These historic-well sites present environmental, safety, and economic concerns in the form of possible methane leaks and physical hazards. Airborne magnetic and LiDAR surveys were conducted in the Pioneer Run watershed in Oil Creek State Park to find abandoned wells in a historically significant but physically challenging location. Wells were drilled in this area prior to modern geolocation and legal documentation. Although a large number of old wells were abandoned summarily without remediation of the site, much of the land area within Oil Creek State Park is now covered in trees and dense underbrush, which can obscure wellheads. The thick vegetation and steep terrain limited the possibility of ground-based surveys to easily find well sites for methane emissions studies. The data from remote sensing surveys were used to corroborate potential well locations from historic maps and photographs. Potential well sites were verified in a ground-based field survey and monitored for methane emissions. Two historic photographs documenting oil activity in the late 1800s were georeferenced using a combination of magnetic and LiDAR data. LiDAR data, which were more useful in georeferencing and in field verification, identified 290 field locations in the Pioneer Run watershed, 86% of which were possible well sites. Sixty-two percent of the ground-verified wells remained unplugged and comprised the majority of leaking wells. The mean methane emissions factor for unplugged wells was 0.027 ± 0.099 kg/day, lower than other Appalachian Basin methane emissions estimates. LiDAR was used for the first time, in combination with an airborne magnetic survey, to reveal underground oil industry features and inform well identification and remediation efforts in difficult-to-navigate regions. In the oldest oil fields, where well casing has been removed or wood conductor casing was installed, historic photographs provide additional lines of evidence for oil wells where ground disturbances have concealed surface features. Identification of well sites is necessary for mitigation efforts, as unplugged wells emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

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在宾夕法尼亚州油溪州立公园发现废弃井以减少甲烷排放的历史和现代方法

1800 年代中期，宾夕法尼亚州的油溪沿岸钻了数百口油井，催生了现代石油工业。不再运行，许多井现在被归类为废弃，并且由于它们的年龄，它们的位置要么未知，要么记录不准确。这些历史悠久的井场以可能的甲烷泄漏和物理危害的形式存在环境、安全和经济问题。在油溪州立公园的 Pioneer Run 分水岭进行了机载磁力和激光雷达勘测，以在具有历史意义但对物理条件具有挑战性的位置找到废弃的油井。在现代地理定位和法律文件出现之前，就在该地区钻了井。虽然大量老井未经现场整治即被废弃，油溪州立公园内的大部分土地现在都被树木和茂密的灌木丛所覆盖，这可能会掩盖井口。茂密的植被和陡峭的地形限制了进行地面调查以轻松找到甲烷排放研究井位的可能性。来自遥感调查的数据用于从历史地图和照片中证实潜在的井位。在地面实地调查中验证了潜在的井位，并监测了甲烷排放。使用磁性和激光雷达数据的组合对记录 1800 年代后期石油活动的两张历史照片进行了地理参考。LiDAR 数据在地理配准和现场验证中更有用，确定了 Pioneer Run 流域的 290 个现场位置，其中 86% 是可能的井场。62% 的地面验证井仍未堵塞，占泄漏井的大部分。未堵塞井的平均甲烷排放因子为 0.027 ± 0.099 千克/天，低于其他阿巴拉契亚盆地甲烷排放估计值。LiDAR 首次与机载磁力测量相结合，用于揭示地下石油工业特征，并为难以导航地区的油井识别和修复工作提供信息。在已拆除油井套管或安装木导体套管的最古老的油田中，历史照片为地面扰动掩盖了地表特征的油井提供了额外的证据。确定井场对于缓解措施是必要的，因为未堵塞的井会排放甲烷，这是一种强效温室气体。