30.2 C
Accra
Saturday, February 8, 2025
WorldNASA satellites identify more than 50 methane 'super emitters'

Date:

NASA satellites identify more than 50 methane ‘super emitters’

This image depicts a huge plume of the potent greenhouse gas methane erupting from Turkmenistan’s oil and gas infrastructure.
Using picture technologies placed on the International Space Station, NASA has discovered more than 50 such locations.
Image provided by NASA.

26 October (UPI) —
NASA said that more than 50 so-called super emitters of methane, a strong greenhouse gas, have been discovered on Earth by its observational devices.

The U.S. space agency’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, dubbed EMIT, is installed on the International Space Station. Using data collected since July, NASA scientists have uncovered several significant methane plumes across Central Asia, the Middle East and the southwestern United States.

“The International Space Station and NASA’s more than two dozen satellites and instruments in space have long been invaluable in determining changes to the Earth’s climate,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “EMIT is proving to be a critical tool in our toolbox to measure this potent greenhouse gas.”

Methane emissions emerged as a geopolitical concern most recently when ruptures along Russia’s Nord Stream natural gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea caused the gas to bubble up, creating a half-mile disturbance on the sea floor.

A gas facility at Aliso Canyon, near Los Angeles, leaked methane from late October 2015 to early 2016 following a blowout of a faulty well in what area officials said was the largest gas leak in U.S. history.

EMIT, meanwhile, detected a 3-mile-long plume of methane spewing from an Iranian landfill. That’s emitting the loose equivalent of 18,700 pounds of methane an hour. Oil and gas infrastructure in Turkmenistan, meanwhile, is emitting a plume of methane that stretches some 20 miles long and is releasing about 111,000 pounds of methane an hour. That’s about as severe as the Aliso Canyon leak.

In the United States, NASA detected a 2-mile plume stretching across New Mexico that’s the result of exploration and production activity in the Permian basin, the largest inland source of crude oil in the country.

Environmental activists say the oil and gas industry is among the largest emitters of methane in the world. Methane accounts for only a fraction of total human-related greenhouse gas emissions, though it has a warming potential that far exceeds that of carbon dioxide.

NASA said EMIT is just one example of how its space-imaging technology can track problems on Earth. Scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are working on carbon-mapping technology that could be put into space next year.

“As it continues to survey the planet, EMIT will observe places in which no one thought to look for greenhouse-gas emitters before, and it will find plumes that no one expects,” Robert Green, EMIT’s principal investigator at the JPL, said.

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

Committee to reduce data costs will be set up in 14 days – Communications Minister

Minister of Communications, Samuel Nartey George, has revealed plans...

“I’m in love, and my man is financially okay” – Shugatiti

Ghanaian socialite and entrepreneur Abena Serwaa Frimpong, popularly known...

Restore Ghana to its pride of place in Africa and World sports – Mahama charges Sports Minister

President John Dramani Mahama has tasked newly appointed Minister...

Charges against former SSNIT boss Dr Thompson, 3 others withdrawn by the State

The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has officially withdrawn...

Irish visitor stunned by KFC and Starbucks in Ghana

An Irish tourist, Seon, has shared his surprise at...

Celestine Donkor returns with a power-packed edition of Celestial Praiz

Ghanaian gospel sensation Celestine Donkor is making a grand...

Samini and Soweto Gospel Choir set to drop new music

Excitement is building around a groundbreaking collaboration between Ghanaian...

Related stories

“I still consider it my biggest failure” – Bill Gates on life after divorce

Bill Gates is speaking candidly about his divorce from Melinda French...

Kanye West reclaims title as wealthiest rapper, surpassing JAY-Z

Kanye West has reportedly reclaimed the title of the...

Meta offers TikTokers $5,000 to join Facebook, Instagram

Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up...

About 1,600 Capitol riot defendants pardoned by Trump

President Donald Trump has issued pardons or commuted sentences...

LIVESTREAMING: Swearing-in ceremony for Donald Trump

Today marks the beginning of Donald Trump's second term...

Inauguration Day schedule for Trump’s swearing-in ceremony today

Donald Trump will take the oath of office today...

WhatsApp to stop working on these devices in 2025

WhatsApp will soon cease supporting 18 Android models and...