About Image of Scott Seymour speaking at a lectern

Scott Seymour

Scientist, Canada Methane

Contact

Remote Office

Work

Areas of expertise:

Oil and gas methane emissions, flaring, aerial and ground-based measurement, emissions inventory and policy analysis, laser-based gas detection.

Scott Seymour is a methane scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, where he supports efforts to improve understanding of oil and gas methane emissions in Canada and globally. His work includes coordinating multi-scale measurement campaigns, analyzing aerial and satellite-based emissions data, and interpreting industry-reported inventories. He has led or contributed to research on heavy oil site venting, wellhead leakage, and flaring. He assesses current and proposed regulations to evaluate their impact on total emissions and methane intensity performance.

Background

Prior to joining EDF, Scott specialized in laser diagnostics for oil and gas applications, developing and simulating laser-based instruments for methane and black carbon emissions detection/quantification. This work advanced the understanding of emissions from flares and oil storage tanks. He brings both domestic and international field experience to his research and analysis.

Education

  • B.Eng., Mechanical Engineering (with Minors in Mathematics and Earth Sciences), Carleton University, 2016
  • M.A.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, Carleton University, 2019
  • PhD Candidate, Civil Engineering, McGill University, 2022—Present

Publications

Seymour SP, Xie D, Kang M, Schwietzke S, Zavala-Araiza D, Hamburg SP. (under peer review). Methane emission intensity metrics: unmasking the trade-offs. 

Seymour SP, Aylward B, Galvin KP, Kang M, Xie D. (under peer review). Gas flaring is likely underestimated by satellites, the result of undetected small flares. 

Seymour SP, Xie D, Kang M. (2024). Highly Uncertain Methane Leakage from Oil and Gas Wells in Canada Despite Measurement and Reporting. Energy & Fuels, 38(14): 13078–13088. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.4c00908

Seymour SP, Li HZ, MacKay K, Kang M, Xie D. (2023). Saskatchewan’s oil and gas methane: how have underestimated emissions in Canada impacted progress toward 2025 climate goals? Environmental Research Letters 18(084004). doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ace271

Seymour SP, Xie D, Li HZ, MacKay K. (2022). Sources and Reliability of Reported Methane Reductions from the Oil and Gas Industry in Alberta, Canada. Elementa 10(1): 1–17. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.2022.00073

Seymour SP, Festa-Bianchet SA, Tyner DR, Johnson MR. (2022). Reduction of Signal Drift in a Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy-Based Methane Flux Sensor. Sensors 22(16): 1–17. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/s22166139

Seymour SP, Johnson MR. (2021). Species correlation measurements in turbulent flare plumes: Considerations for field measurements. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14(7): 5179–5197. doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5179-2021

MacKay K, Seymour SP, Li HZ, Zavala-Araiza D, Xie D. (2024). A Comprehensive Integration and Synthesis of Methane Emissions from Canada’s Oil and Gas Value Chain. Environmental Science and Technology, 58. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c03651

Li HZ, Seymour SP, Mackay K, Wang JS, Warren JD, Guanter L, Zavala-araiza D, Smith ML, Xie D. (2024). Direct measurements of methane emissions from key facilities in Alberta’s oil and gas supply chain. Science of the Total Environment 912(169645). Elsevier B.V. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169645.

Festa-Bianchet SA, Tyner DR, Seymour SP, Johnson MR. (2023). Methane Venting at Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) Facilities is Significantly Underreported and led by High-Emitting Wells with Low or Negative. Environmental Science and Technology, in press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c06255.

Festa-Bianchet SA, Seymour SP, Tyner DR, Johnson MR. (2022). A Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy-Based Methane Flux Sensor for Quantification of Venting Sources at Oil and Gas Sites. Sensors 22(4175). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114175.

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