How Data can Help Reduce Methane Emissions

Trio Of Sentinel Satellites Map Methane Super-Emitters -- https://lnkd.in/gi2pNwGz  <-- shared technical article -- https://lnkd.in/g6df3_rp <-- shared technical article -- https://lnkd.in/gwNgm54w <-- shared paper -- https://lnkd.in/g-46mUCd <-- shared paper -- “In the quest to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, detecting methane leaks - a potent contributor to global warming - has become increasingly vital… Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is the 2nd largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide. A ton of methane, despite its shorter lifespan of about 10 years in the atmosphere, can retain an astounding 30 times more heat than a ton of carbon dioxide over the course of a century. This means that when it comes to warming our planet, methane is a potent player. But here's the good news: because methane doesn't stick around as long as carbon dioxide, it provides us with an opportunity to take relatively swift climate action. If we reduce methane emissions, we can actually see a tangible reduction in global methane levels within just a decade. This, in turn, helps to mitigate the enhanced greenhouse effect…  While methane emitters refer to any source of methane ranging from natural processes like wetlands or human activities such as agriculture, methane super-emitters release a disproportionately large amount of methane compared to other emitters. These are typically found among industrial facilities, such as oil and gas operations, coal mines, or even landfills, that have equipment or infrastructure issues leading to significant methane leaks. These super-emitters are the low-hanging fruits in our quest to cut emissions. Fixing these super-emitters doesn't require complex or expensive solutions... Using machine learning for methane detection: The Tropomi instrument onboard the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite is the only satellite instrument that produces a global map of methane concentrations every day. The satellite measures methane by observing Earth's atmosphere and, specifically, the shortwave infrared bands. These bands are like unique fingerprints for methane, allowing Sentinel-5P to detect its presence with remarkable precision… Researchers... have announced a new algorithm that automatically discovers methane super-emitter plumes in Sentinel-5P data using machine learning. It also automatically calculates the associated emissions based on the measured concentrations and concurrent wind speeds…” #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #satellite #Sentinel #Sentinel5 #Tropomi #machinelearning #algorithm #Copernicus #methane #climatechange #monitoring #measurement #greenhousegas #machineleaning #superemitters #AI #artificiallearning #detection European Space Agency - ESA

Groundbreaking: Newly released images reveal methane emissions from oil and gas operations that other satellites can't see. 👀 The latest images from the MethaneSAT satellite demonstrate its unique and powerful capabilities to quantify methane emissions from oil and gas operations across large geographical areas. These novel observations reveal that emissions in North America and Central Asia production basins are significantly higher than those reported in existing inventories and databases. For example, methane emissions observed in the Permian basin are 3-5 times greater than EPA estimates — while emissions in the South Caspian basin are over 10 times higher than reported in the EDGAR emissions database. 💡 This groundbreaking data will empower oil and gas producers to identify and eliminate methane leaks, helping them play an essential role in meeting global methane reduction goals. It will also enable greater transparency and accountability for emissions performance across different production regions worldwide. The first set of images includes the Appalachian, Permian, and Uinta basins in the US (shown here); the Amu Darya and South Caspian basins in Turkmenistan; and the Maturin basin in Venezuela. Source in the comments.

New Paper Alert! This time on #MRV for #methane emissions across oil and gas supply chains! Government policies and voluntary industry efforts to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector are shifting towards more accurate measurement-based emission inventories. Traditional methods struggle to capture the dynamic nature of methane emissions. This study conducted an 11-month methane measurement campaign at production sites and discovered that top-down methane measurements by operators were lower during project completion compared to baseline phases. Nonetheless, discrepancies persisted between these measurements and conventional bottom-up inventories. High-frequency data from continuous monitoring systems (CMS) were used to bridge these gaps. The study showcases the practical application of reconciling CMS rate estimates and top-down measurements with bottom-up inventories at the site level. This approach aligns with regulatory requirements like the Inflation Reduction Act and initiatives like the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, offering a vital tool for effective emissions reporting. Of course, a study like this - especially one with field work across 5 states - doesn't happen in just one lab or even one organization. Dozens have contribute their time and effort over the past year and a half, including: Bridger Photonics, Inc. SeekOps Inc. GHGSAT Montrose Environmental Group Cheniere Energy, Inc. Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute for Public Policy SLR Consulting Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering https://lnkd.in/gggQZUMT