A methane hotspot hovering over the Four Corners region in the southwestern United States has provided a mystery to scientists since it was first seen from space by a satellite managed by the European Space Agency.
The New Mexico Environment Department is among the groups looking into the unusual atmospheric feature. The group is sponsoring a forum on April 17 to discuss possible environmental ramifications of obtaining fossil fuels through the controversial practice of fracking.
"As the science emerges around detection of elevated methane levels in the region, NMED is keeping a close eye on the data and associated issues. There's a lot of interest in methane, and this event will be a great opportunity for all of us to listen, learn and ask questions," Richard Goodyear of the New Mexico Environment Department said.
A group of scientists is gathered at Four Corners, where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah all meet. They are examining the air and ground in an effort to understand where the methane in the area is emanating from and what dangers it may pose.
"With all the ground-based and airborne resources that the different groups are bringing to the region, we have the unique chance to unequivocally solve the Four Corners mystery," said Christian Frankenberg of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
A study published in October 2014 reported methane levels in the Four Corners region as higher than at any other location in the world. That hotspot of greenhouse gases persisted from at least 2003 to 2009, according to researchers studying the anomaly.
Officials at NASA believe the high concentrations of methane in the area may be due to methane extraction in the region, largely carried out by fracking. This process entails pumping water, sand and chemicals into otherwise dry wells at high velocities to shatter rock layers, releasing natural gas, mostly composed of methane. Studies have suggested that vast amounts of the greenhouse gas can be released during fracking operations.
Other possibilities for the gas release in the Four Corners region include active coal mines and natural gas seeps. The amount of the environmentally damaging gas seen in the southwestern United States is roughly equivalent to 10 percent of all methane released across the nation.
A pair of Twin Otter aircraft, operated by JPL, will soon fly over the region in an effort to better understand how the methane hotspot formed. These airplanes will be equipped with two instruments — the Next-Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRISNG) that will carefully measure the extent of the gas, and the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HYTES), designed to identify sources.
Once the cause of the gas emissions and the extent of the formation is understood, climatologists will be better able to control release of the greenhouse gas.
Photo: Ken Lund | Flickr
