New Satellite Combination Enables Accurate Detection of Methane Super-Emitters

New Satellite Combination Enables Accurate Detection of Methane Super-Emitters A new combination of connected satellites is allowing researchers to detect methane super-emitters with “staggering” accuracy and almost in real-time, marking a crucial development in the global fight against climate change. Methane is responsible for a quarter of human-induced global warming and has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere compared to CO2. Researchers can now use a tiered approach, starting with low-resolution global scans by Sentinel-5P and moving to pinpointed spotting of emitters by Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-2 with increasing spatial resolution, to detect methane super-emitters globally. This advancement allows for the identification of major sources of methane, supporting climate change mitigation efforts. The Copernicus program, led by the European Space Agency, provides satellite data that enables scientists to monitor climate change and support mitigation efforts. The combination of observations from three Copernicus satellites – Sentinel-5P, Sentinel-3, and Sentinel-2 – now enables researchers to detect and zoom in on methane hot spots. This tiered approach helps identify the responsible super-emitters. Knowing the locations of the largest methane emissions is crucial for evidence-based decision-making and successful mitigation of climate change. The launch of the Sentinel 5 Precursor satellite in 2017, equipped with the Dutch TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (Tropomi), offered high expectations. Tropomi scans the entire globe daily and provides city-scale resolution. The results have been remarkable, with the Dutch space research institute SRON using Tropomi’s global coverage to identify methane emission hot spots worldwide. High-resolution observations from the Canadian GHGSat satellites, with a spatial resolution of 25 meters, are used to target the identified Tropomi hotspots and pinpoint the exact sources of methane emission. This process has helped researchers discover various methane super-emitters, including fossil fuel facilities and individual landfills. While GHGSat observations do not cover the entire world, the gaps have been filled by land-imaging satellites like Sentinel-2. Sentinel-2’s high-resolution observations provide global coverage every five days and are effective in detecting methane leaks, especially in deserts. Sentinel-3 is the missing link in this tiered approach, offering daily global coverage and the ability to locate the largest methane point sources to within 500×500 square meters. This is crucial for identifying short-term methane emissions that may go unnoticed between Sentinel-2 overpasses. The combination of Sentinel-3, Sentinel-5P, and Sentinel-2 has proven to be a significant asset for methane mitigation. It allows for quick and precise identification of methane super-emitters, particularly in desert areas or with extremely large emissions. The tiered approach has successfully been used to examine emissions along a Russian gas pipeline, highlighting the effectiveness of these satellite instruments in methane detection. The use of these satellites has enabled the mapping of over a hundred methane-emitting landfills globally. This valuable information supports efforts to mitigate methane emissions and combat climate change.