EMIT Mission by NASA Maps Over 50 Methane 'Super-Emitters' Across the Earth

More than 50 methane-emitting hotspots across the globe have been detected by NASA scientists using a technique developed to research how dust impacts climate. The report said this might aid the fight against the powerful greenhouse gas.

Detecting 'Super-Emitters' Across the Globe

NASA said that since its Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) was deployed in July aboard the International Space Station (ISS), it has found more than 50 methane "super-emitters" across Central Asia, the Middle East, and the southwestern United States.

Some recently observed methane hotspots were already on scientists' radars, while others were entirely new discoveries, such as massive oil and gas plants and landfills. About 30% of the current global temperature increase may be attributed to methane emissions.

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) via NASA displayed fresh satellite imagery showing methane super-emitters, such as a cluster of 12 plumes from oil and gas infrastructure in Turkmenistan, some of which stretched more than 32 km (20 miles).

Scientists estimate the combined methane output from the Turkmenistan plumes to be 50,400kg (111,000 pounds) per hour. This makes it comparable to the peak flow from the Aliso Canyon gas production rupture near Los Angeles in 2015. This was one of the biggest accidental methane leaks in US history.

New Mexico's oilfield and Iran's waste-processing facility were the other two major emitters, producing about 29,000 kilograms (60,000 pounds) of methane every hour. At least 2km (3.6 miles) of methane gas was released to the south of Tehran, the capital of Iran.

EMIT's Impressive Effectiveness

From its position aboard the space station 400km (250 miles) above Earth, EMIT can scan broad swathes of the planet thousands of kilometers across while also zooming in on locations as tiny as a football field.

An imaging spectrometer's original purpose was to determine the mineral composition of dust particles carried into Earth's atmosphere by winds from deserts and other dry places. Still, it has since been found to be highly effective at detecting huge methane emissions.

An Essential Step to Addressing Climate Change

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pointed out that reducing methane emissions is the key to controlling global warming. "This exciting new development will not only help researchers better pinpoint where methane leaks are coming from but also provide insight on how they can be addressed - quickly," he stated via NASA's official press release on Tuesday.

The ISS and NASA's fleet of satellites and other space-based devices have long been essential for monitoring climate change on Earth. Using EMIT, they are able to detect this powerful greenhouse gas accurately and put a stop to it where it begins.

Methane, the primary component of natural gas used in power plants and a byproduct of organic decay, contributes just a tiny percentage of human-caused greenhouse emissions but has around 80 times more heat-trapping capacity per unit of weight than carbon dioxide.

Methane emissions have a more rapid influence on global warming than CO2 emissions, which last centuries.

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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada