Atmospheric methane concentrations in the urban core of a medium-sized city

Data shows the seasonal spatial variation in atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations during a year (June 1st, 2017 - May 31st, 2018) at ten sampling sites in the urban core of Tandil (37°19′ S, 59°08′ W), a medium-sized city in Buenos Aires province (Argentina). Also, contain meteorological data. During a study period integrated air samples were collected in 0.5 liter stainless steel canisters with an inlet valve and an air flow controller calibrated for the desired sampling period (Gere and Gratton 2010) in consecutive 15-day periods. The air samples were analyzed for CH4 concentration by gas chromatography (CG Agilent 7890A) (De Bernardi et al. 2019). Basic descriptive statistical analyses, ANOVA Test and a Fisher’s LSD test (p < 0.05) were performed to assess the relative incidence of biogenic and non biogenic sources in the atmospheric CH4 concentrations. Infostat Statistical software was used for all statistical analyses. Spatial analysis tools (ArcGIS 10.5®) (Exploratory Regression and Ordinary Least Squares) were used to identify the independent variables that account for the mean CH4 values obtained. These analyses highlight the contribution of the wastewater treatment plant, CNG stations, artifical lake and homes connected to the gas natural network to the spatial variability of the atmospheric CH4 concentrations in the urban core of the studied city.