News

Field campaigns, publications, system milestones, partnerships, and research updates from BRI.

March 16, 2022 · News

BRI team investigates potential emissions from abandoned oil wells in Hermosa Beach, CA

Earlier this month, BRI tested its cutting-edge in-house technology, SISTER2, for its ability to detect abandoned oil wells in a coastal Los Angeles town. This scoping investigation was during a coastal southern California air pollution survey focused on spotting emissions from loitering freighters offshore Los Angeles. The survey started in Oxnard, CA, and drove along the coast through the Ports […]

Review record

March 1, 2022 · News

Testing the renovated SISTER2 Technology in central California: Application to the detection and quantification of emissions from active, idled, and abandoned oil wells

Abandoned oil wells pose a long-term threat to climate and human health (when located in urban settings), yet emissions from abandoned and idled wells are largely unknown. This problem is exacerbated in earthquake prone areas such as southern California, where seismic stresses and motions can reopen sealed wells. To better understand the threat, BRI is undertaking an emissions assessment study […]

Review record

December 14, 2021 · News

New study in press from BRI and the Aerospace Corporation

A new study from BRI and the Aerospace Corporation researching air quality at The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is now in press. Follow our Twitter or LinkedIn to stay updated on new publications and other BRI updates! Twitter LinkedIn The BRI team headed down to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (hereafter referred to as […]

Review record

December 5, 2021 · News

New Report: Deriving the Atmospheric Emissions of the Coal Oil Point Seep Field

The study “Long-Term Atmospheric Emissions for the Coal Oil Point Natural Marine Hydrocarbon Seep Field, Offshore California” by Ira Leifer, Christopher Melton, and Donald R. Blake was recently published in Atmospheric Environment and presents a novel method for deriving atmospheric emissions from natural marine seepage. The study analyzed three decades of air quality station data using a Gaussian plume inversion […]

Review record

May 7, 2021 · News

Introducing SISTER™ 2: BRI’s Upgraded Mobile Air Quality Laboratory

BRI has conducted mobile air quality laboratory surveys since 2014. These surveys have been to estimate emissions from a variety of sources including oil & gas, husbandry, landfill, natural seepage, pipeline leakage, and volcanic, and to assess air quality in diverse communities, as well as to validate airborne and satellite data. The first BRI development was AMOG Surveyor™, an air […]

Review record

April 30, 2021 · News

Preliminary data suggests wildfire smoke exposure leads to an increase in Covid19 cases

The 2020 fire season was brutal, blanketing cities from San Diego to Seattle in wildfire smoke, creating red skies and shockingly poor air quality that impacted lives statewide and beyond. Northern California was especially affected as there were huge fire complexes started by lightning, covering the sky in smoke for weeks. However, a new study has revealed that the wildfire […]

Review record

April 11, 2021 · News

BRI and The Aerospace Corporation Deploy to The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for Air Quality Surveys

The BRI team headed down to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (hereafter referred to as “The Ports”) April 9th to survey air quality while Mako, a thermal infrared hyperspectral sensor developed by The Aerospace Corporation surveys from above. Mako is flown on aircraft, while BRI mobile laboratory, Standard Instrumentation Suite: Truck Enabled for Response: SISTER™ analyzed air quality […]

Review record

January 26, 2021 · News

Massive dolphin pod swarms BRI scientists in the Santa Barbara Channel

Last week, our team spotted a massive disturbance on the horizon heading towards their small vessel while collecting natural seep oil for laboratory experiments*. As the disturbance approached the scientists and grew, it resolved into dolphins – an unbelievably large pod of dolphins! Hundreds and hundreds of dolphins swimming under and around the boat for nearly 10 minutes, stretching as […]

Review record

November 26, 2020 · News

2020 Fall Meeting AGU Presentation on the Ports and the Health Effects of Air Pollution

BRI’s CEO Ira Leifer presents a talk for the 2020 AGU Fall Meeting on air pollution trends seen at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles during the Covid-19 stay-at-home order. This presentation goes into depth on the results of recent air pollution surveys (in May and November 2020). Air pollution from traffic (trucks and freighters as well as […]

Review record

November 20, 2020 · News

Normal Activity Resumes at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports: BRI Returns for Air Quality Surveys

After the stay-at-home order was implemented, BRI conducted several air quality surveys of the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles (hereafter referred to as “the Ports”) and surrounding area which found impressively low levels of air pollutants commonly associated with activity at the Ports. The stay-at-home order and subsequent slowing down of business, traffic, and activity at the Ports […]

Review record