NASA Detects More Than 50 Methane 'Super-Emitter' Zones Around The World

[milestogo]

A 3 km methane plume detected by NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation mission, southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA scientists, using a tool designed to study how dust affects climate, have identified more than 50 spots around the world emitting major levels of methane, a development that could help combat the potent greenhouse gas. "Reining in methane emissions is key to limiting global warming," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a press release on Tuesday. ​"This exciting new development will not only help researchers better pinpoint where methane leaks are coming from, but also provide insight on how they can be addressed – quickly."

​NASA said its Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) is designed to foster understanding of the effects of airborne dust on climate. ​But EMIT, which was installed on the International Space Station in July and can focus on areas as small as a soccer field, has also shown the ability to detect the presence of methane.

​NASA said more than 50 "super-emitters" of methane gas in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the southwestern United States have been identified so far. Most of them are connected to the fossil-fuel, waste or agriculture sectors. ​Kate Calvin, NASA's chief scientist and senior climate advisor, said EMIT's "additional methane-detecting capability offers a remarkable opportunity to measure and monitor greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change."


A 4.8 kilometer long methane plume south of Tehran, Iran. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Methane is responsible for roughly 30 percent of the global rise in temperatures to date. ​While far less abundant in the atmosphere than CO2, it is about 28 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas on a century-long timescale. Over a 20-year time frame, it is 80 times more potent. ​Methane lingers in the atmosphere for only a decade, compared to hundreds or thousands of years for CO2. ​This means a sharp reduction in emissions could shave several tenths of a degree Celsius off of projected global warming by mid-century, helping keep alive the Paris Agreement goal of capping Earth's average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-detects-more-than-50-methane-super-emitter-zones-around-the-world

[Backseat Driver]

1. Wow, a Universal Space Dust and Cow Fart Detector...

= We got cows!



OK - too much silliness for a fascinating helpful tool?

[underpants]

2. On Earth that's called taco Tuesday

[packman]

3. Or a Trump rally

[DBoon]

4. I bet they could find my dog with that instrument