Using an instrument designed to study how dust affects the climate, scientists from the US space agency (NASA) have identified more than 50 points around the world that emit significant levels of methane, a development that could help combat powerful greenhouse gases. “Reducing methane emissions is key to limiting global warming,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a news release Tuesday. “This exciting new development will not only help researchers better determine the source of the methane leak, but will also provide insights into how to quickly address it.”
NASA said its investigation of the Earth’s Surface Mineral Dust (EMIT) source is designed to increase 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 football field, has also demonstrated the ability to detect the presence of methane.
Dozens of super emitters
So far, NASA said, more than 50 “super emitters” of methane have been identified in Central Asia, the Middle East, and the southwestern United States. Most of them are related to fossil fuels, waste or agriculture sectors. “EMIT’s additional ability to detect methane provides a fantastic opportunity to measure and monitor greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change,” said Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate advisor.
Methane is responsible for about 30 percent of global warming to date.
While it is less abundant in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, it is about 28 times more powerful than a greenhouse gas on a century time scale. Over the course of 20 years, it has become 80 times stronger. Methane stays in the atmosphere for only a decade, compared to hundreds or thousands of years for carbon dioxide.
That means a sharp cut in emissions could remove several tenths of a degree Celsius of global warming projected by mid-century, helping maintain the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the United Nations programme. Environment (UNEP). ).
Huge climate potential
“EMIT is likely to find hundreds of ultra-high energy emitters, some of which were previously detected through atmospheric, space-based or ground-based measurements, and others that were previously unknown,” NASA said. Some of the methane plumes discovered by EMIT are among the largest ever seen, said Andrew Thorpe, a research technician at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory who leads EMIT’s methane efforts. “What we found in such a short time really exceeds our expectations,” Thorpe said.
A column of methane about two miles (3.3 kilometers) long has been discovered southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s largest oil fields, NASA said. He said 12 pillars of oil and gas infrastructure have been identified in Turkmenistan, east of the coastal city of Hazar on the Caspian Sea. A column of methane was detected at least three miles (4.8 km) south of Tehran from a major waste treatment complex, NASA said.
EL (afp, Reuters)
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