Methanesat (pictured) aims to monitor 80% of the world's oil and gas producers on a weekly basis. **BAE Systems, Inc.
When it comes to climate change, carbon dioxide usually dominates the discussion, but cutting methane emissions could have a bigger impact on global warming in the coming decades. With the help of a satellite that will launch as early as March 4 from Vandenberg Space Base near Lomboak, California, ** and businesses will finally have a tool to help them pinpoint methane hotspots on Earth and plug leaks.
Developed by a consortium of environmentalists, scientists, and aerospace engineers, Methanesat cost approximately $88 million to provide an unparalleled view of methane emissions from oil and gas fields around the world, as well as agricultural facilities and landfills. Methanesat's operators will work with Google to process data from satellites using an atmospheric model that tracks methane from the air back to the ground. Then, they will provide the data for free. Google also plans to use AI algorithms to help map the world's oil and gas infrastructure and identify pollution.
Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Framework (EDF), a New York City-based advocacy group that led the development of the satellite, said the methane satellite would enable corporate and corporate accountability through "radical transparency." "This will be the first time we have obtained any such information on greenhouse gases," he said.
More than 80 times more potent than carbon monoxide2Methane has trapped heat around the planet since the Industrial Revolution, collectively contributing to around 30% of global warming. Methane lasts in the atmosphere for about 12 years, while CO2 lasts for centuries. This means that curbing methane emissions could have a significant cooling effect on global temperatures in the short term.
If we're going to eliminate methane emissions, we can essentially cut warming by almost half in the coming decades," says Ilissa Ocko, an atmospheric scientist at EDF, whose research shows that the oil and gas industry can reduce most of its emissions at little to no additional cost1, such as replacing leaking seals or damaged valves. "In many cases, it's easy to solve the problem," she said.
Methane satellites originated from the groundbreaking airplane movements about a decade ago that helped reveal the extent of pollution in U.S. oil and gas fields. EDF then collaborated with academics and industry to conduct a series of studies that helped document emissions across the United States, ultimately showing that methane emissions from the oil and gas industry are 60% higher than official estimates2On the basis of this work, the group then organized a group to design the satellite.
Oil extraction operations release natural gas, which is mainly made up of methane, which is usually burned off. *jim west/alamy
In 2018, EDF and its key scientific partner at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, secured start-up funding through the AUDACious Project, which involved the development of Methanesat by the New York-based nonprofit TED. If successful, EDF will be the first environmental organization to develop such a science-based satellite.
What sets Methanesat apart is its resolution. Commercial satellites that have already orbited the Earth can track major methane**, such as leaking wells and landfills. In contrast, sensors on the European satellite Sentinel-5 Precursor can scan vast landscapes and measure methane concentrations in the atmosphere, but cannot identify the source of emissions. Methane satellites operate between these two extremes, scanning large areas of the Earth while also providing high-resolution measurements that can locate large and small launchers.
We're adapting to a place where no one else operates," said Steve Wofsy, an atmospheric scientist at Harvard University who is leading Methanesat's technical team.
When the spacecraft arrived, many called it Earth's "methane moment." Last December, Joe Biden finalized regulations aimed at cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 80% by 2035. Others, such as those of EU member states, are considering pollution standards for natural gas, which means they may impose a fee on imports from producers who exceed methane emission limits. Industry is also stepping up its commitments: for example, at last year's UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the world's 50 largest oil and gas companies pledged to completely eliminate methane emissions by 2030.
Technicians conduct research on methane SAT in a cleanroom during the development process. **BAE Systems, Inc.
The capabilities of this satellite are amazing," said Róisín Commane, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University in New York City. But she noted that methane satellites are limited: every day, they can only transmit images to Earth from about 30 plots of land with an area of 200 square kilometers. That's enough to fulfill its core mission of monitoring global oil and gas operations, as well as some agriculture**, but Commane said it will miss out on other scientific opportunities.
Therefore, she proposes to install a sensor similar to Methanesat on future NASA satellites, but with more power and larger radio antennas. "There's still a lot of work to be done," Commane said.
For WOFSY, the big question is whether the data from Methanesat will actually motivate companies and countries to take action. He said its operators control neither the industry nor the **, but data showing methane emissions will be published in the public domain. "I hope it makes a difference. ”
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