Decoding methane concentration in Alberta oil sands: A machine learning exploration

June 2023 - June 2024

We conduct an observational study using air quality monitoring and weather station data to model methane air concentrations in the Athabasca oil sands region. Using this data, we develop a multistep framework based on interpretable supervised learning techniques to predict methane air concentration and identify key contributing features. This framework is then applied to locate emission sources, analyze gas dynamics, and forecast methane concentrations across the study area.

Top: Developed methodology of the study

Bottom: Computed variable importance

Photo sources: From manuscript