Methane Emissions Monitoring via Satellite Technology

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

Google and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) are creating a global map of methane leaks. This innovative project leverages: 1. MethaneSAT, a satellite launching on 4th March 2024, which will collect data on methane emissions 15 times daily. 2. Google's AI and cloud computing expertise, used to analyze the collected data and pinpoint leak locations. 🔻 Why is this important? - Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, contributing significantly to global warming. - Identifying and addressing leaks can significantly reduce our environmental impact. - This transparent and accessible data empowers individuals, organizations, and policymakers to take action. - This is a significant step towards greater transparency and accountability in the fight against climate change. Source: Google / Catherine Boudreau / Business Insider #gis #methane #pollution #geospatial #geospatialtechnology #geospatialanalysis #geospatialdata

Thanks Valerie Volcovici for the quote in this important curtain raiser on the US-China climate talks. After #Turkmenistan, #China is another low-hanging fruit for #methane abatement, in this case from the #coal sector. China is "Number One" for coal mine methane (CMM) emissions, with nearly 30% of coal-related super-emitter events detected since January 2019 via the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite, according to Kayrros analysis. Huge opportunity. The US and India are next with nearly 20% each. Capturing and using CMM would be a "win-win," since China, a large gas importer, could use the methane in its economy instead of high-priced imports. Kayrros analysis of hyperspectral satellite images can pinpoint CMM sources with unprecedented precision and granularity. Never have the opportunities for abatement been clearer -- nor has it been easier for operators to report about their progress in a trusted way. Ending CMM emissions is within our technical reach. Coal producers have long known how to drain CMM from their mines for safety reasons, all too often only to release it in the atmosphere. Given what we know now about the warming impact of methane, this is no longer enough. Next stage is to bring the captured methane to consumers. From Ashgabat to Beijing, US methane diplomacy has gained momentum ahead of COP28. This is partly a reflection of the growing transparency made possible by recent advances in the analysis of satellite imaging. It's exciting to see how technological progress is already bringing results! https://lnkd.in/gtEySczh

I've always said that it will be American ingenuity that will keep us on course for The Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal. I'll now expand that to international cooperation. The Environmental Defense Fund and Google have pledged to combine forces on EDF’s MethaneSat initiative, one of the most ambitious efforts yet to discover and measure emissions of a gas with 80 times the global-warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. That’s vital data for governments and industry players seeking to reduce human-caused methane emissions that are responsible for roughly a quarter of global warming today. The United Nations has called for a 45 percent cut in methane emissions by 2030. EDF research has found that roughly half of the world’s human-caused methane emissions can be eliminated by 2030, and that half of that reduction could be accomplished at no net cost. Emissions from agriculture, livestock and landfills are expected to be more difficult to mitigate than those from the oil and gas industries, which either vent or flare fossil gas — which is primarily methane — as an unwanted byproduct of oil production, or lose it through leaks. That makes targeting oil and gas industry methane emissions “the fastest way that we can slow global warming right now,” Hamburg said. While cutting carbon dioxide emissions remains a pressing challenge, “methane dominates what’s happening in the near term.” At COP28 U.N. climate talks in December, 50 of the world’s largest oil and gas companies pledged to “virtually eliminate” their methane emissions by 2030, Hamburg noted. The European Union in November passed a law that will place “maximum methane intensity values” on fossil gas imports starting in 2030, putting pressure on global suppliers to reduce leaks if they want to continue selling their products in Europe. In the U.S., the EPA has proposed rules to impose fines on methane emitters in the oil and gas industry, in keeping with a provision of 2022’s IRA that penalizes emissions above a certain threshold. The EPA issued final rules on limiting methane emissions from existing oil and gas operations, including a role for third-party monitors like MethaneSat to report methane “super-emitters” — sources of massive methane leaks — and spur regulatory action. Accurate and comprehensive measurements are necessary to attain these targets and mandates, Hamburg said. “Achieving real results means that government, civil society and industry need to know how much methane is coming from where, who is responsible for those emissions and how those emissions are changing over time,” he said. “We need the data on a global scale.” https://lnkd.in/e4my6z9G

I was amazed to read about how Microsoft and Accenture are using AI and #space #technology to tackle one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time: methane emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming. Detecting, quantifying, and reducing these emissions is a complex and challenging problem that requires innovative solutions. That’s why I was impressed by the approach taken to address this problem. The solution leverages Azure-based AI tools, such as Azure Data Manager for Energy, to provide end-to-end methane emissions management capabilities. These tools enable customers to optimize sensor placement, monitor sensor data, detect anomalies, identify emission sources, and quantify emission volumes. But what really caught my eye was the use of satellite data in this solution. Satellite data provides a unique perspective on methane emissions, as it can cover large areas and detect emissions that are otherwise difficult to measure. This allows customers to validate and augment their ground-based sensor data with satellite observations, and to gain deeper insights into their methane emissions performance. This is a great example of how AI and space technologies can be applied to solve real-world problems and make a positive impact on the environment. I look forward to seeing more examples of how satellite data can be used to enhance AI solutions like this one. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, you can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ezGmZVYr Ron Kerr Linda Laphen