Large-Scale Episodic Ethylene Releases Observed from the West Ethylene Pipeline in Iran
Abstract
Atmospheric ethylene (C₂H₄) is an important tracer of anthropogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a precursor to tropospheric ozone. Here, we report on a series of large C₂H₄ plumes observed over western Iran using the satellite sounder IASI. Analyzing 18 years of bidaily observations, we identified a total of 12 intense but short emission episodes in the period 2016–2024. We show that these plumes exhibit no enhancements in any of the other VOCs that IASI is capable of detecting. Together with the location of the events, this suggests that the observed plumes originate from accidental or deliberate releases of nearly pure C₂H₄ from the West Ethylene Pipeline (WEP), which connects numerous petrochemical complexes in western Iran. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported satellite detections of C₂H₄ emissions from a petrochemical pipeline network. We estimate total plume C₂H₄ masses and find that most lie in the 1–3 kt range with the largest plume exceeding 12 kt. Using TROPOMI satellite observations, we also provide strong evidence of in-plume secondary formation of atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO).
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BibTeX
@article{massager2026largescale,
title = {{Large-Scale Episodic Ethylene Releases Observed from the West Ethylene Pipeline in Iran}},
author = {Hélène Massager and Lieven Clarisse and Bruno Franco and Isabelle de Smedt and Adrien Vu Van and Cathy Clerbaux and Pierre Coheur and Sophie Bauduin},
journal = {Environmental Science and Technology Letters},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00014},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05666209v2},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Large-Scale Episodic Ethylene Releases Observed from the West Ethylene Pipeline in Iran
AU - Hélène Massager
AU - Lieven Clarisse
AU - Bruno Franco
AU - Isabelle de Smedt
AU - Adrien Vu Van
AU - Cathy Clerbaux
AU - Pierre Coheur
AU - Sophie Bauduin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/17
JO - Environmental Science and Technology Letters
DO - 10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00014
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05666209v2
AB - Atmospheric ethylene (C₂H₄) is an important tracer of anthropogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a precursor to tropospheric ozone. Here, we report on a series of large C₂H₄ plumes observed over western Iran using the satellite sounder IASI. Analyzing 18 years of bidaily observations, we identified a total of 12 intense but short emission episodes in the period 2016–2024. We show that these plumes exhibit no enhancements in any of the other VOCs that IASI is capable of detecting. Together with the location of the events, this suggests that the observed plumes originate from accidental or deliberate releases of nearly pure C₂H₄ from the West Ethylene Pipeline (WEP), which connects numerous petrochemical complexes in western Iran. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first reported satellite detections of C₂H₄ emissions from a petrochemical pipeline network. We estimate total plume C₂H₄ masses and find that most lie in the 1–3 kt range with the largest plume exceeding 12 kt. Using TROPOMI satellite observations, we also provide strong evidence of in-plume secondary formation of atmospheric formaldehyde (HCHO).
SN - 2328-8930
ER -