Your laptop will soon help fight climate change!
Data from the just launched MethaneSAT satellite will help us all to make more informed decisions that can help reduce methane emissions. And anyone with a laptop (or tablet) will be able to access the details!
How MethaneSAT4 can help us address global warming
The data from MethaneSAT, will help measure methane pollution from oil and gas facilities worldwide accurately and comprehensively. Unlike other satellites, MethaneSAT offers better global coverage and precise measurements. It can detect methane emissions from various sources regularly and at high resolution.
This new satellite:
will provide more detailed data than existing satellites
can detect emissions from both known and previously unknown sources with high precision
aims to monitor key regions responsible for the majority of global oil and gas production frequently, and
focuses just on methane emissions, which will bridge existing gaps in satellite monitoring systems.
Data sneak peeks : it seems that the large “super-emitting” point sources aren't the primary contributors to the oilfield methane problem, it’s the smaller diffuse area sources as well as high-emitting point sources which contribute more to the total methane problem!
The problem with methane
Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas, which is responsible for about 30% of today's global warming from human actions. Even though CO2 has a longer-lasting effect, methane sets the pace for warming in the near term. And methane has 80 times more impact on the greenhouse effect than CO2. Methane often escapes unseen from pipes and wells, and has a far greater immediate impact on global warming
Why will this be useful?
The data will help to identify and monitor emission sources, guide mitigation efforts, and track progress towards emission reductions. The first data release is expected in about 6 months ( ie before Xmas 2024!) with frequent updates thereafter! Launch date was 4 March 2024
Importantly, MethaneSAT data will be free to the public /academia and available through an online portal. The Boston Globe describes it thus:
“…you’ll be able to open your laptop and scroll over the area where your town’s natural gas is produced, and find out if the gas you (still) use to heat your home, and cook your food is coming from a field with a lot of emissions.”
Why will this be important?
It’s technically very feasible to seal the source of methane leaks. By identifying and tracking racking “invisible” methane, this new data can target the worst emitters and help with the clean up of global supply chains by increasing transparency and public oversight of these sources of emissions,
“Cutting methane pollution from fossil fuel operations, agriculture and other sectors is the single fastest way to slow the rate of warming as we continue to decarbonize our energy systems,” said Environmental Defence Fund (EDF) President, Fred Krupp. “To do that requires comprehensive data on this pollution on a global scale. MethaneSAT will show us the full scope of the opportunity by tracking emissions to their source.”
Backgound:
MethaneSAT is an American-New Zealand space mission launched in 2024 aboard SpaceX's Transporter 10 rideshare mission. It is an Earth observation satellite that will monitor and study global methane emissions in order to combat climate change.
Fred Krupp announced the idea for MethaneSAT in a 2018 TED Talk as part of the TED Audacious Project. His idea idea to fix the methane leaks problem was to a satellite that tracks global methane emissions, and openly share the data it collects with the public.
EDF has been a global leader in methane science and solutions for more than a decade, putting the problem on the map by organising a pioneering series of 16 independent studies that showed methane emissions across the U.S. oil and gas supply chain were 60% higher than EPA estimates at the time. MethaneSAT is a direct outgrowth of these efforts.
Find out more about the MethaneSAT project here, or visit their LinkedIn page here.
Image courtesy of methanesat.org.
Boston Globe : Your laptop will soon fight climate change
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