NASA Instrument Detects 50 'Super-Emitters' Of Methane From Space

A NASA instrument was recently able to detect global global emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas from space.

The orbital instrument was designed to develop a better understanding of airborne dust and its effects on climate change. This device is called an imaging spectrometer and has managed to identify over 50 methane "super-emitters" all over the world - Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southwestern United States. It was installed onto the International Space Station in July.

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How the device spots super-emitters of methane

In essence, the instrument is coughing up exact details about hotspots of methane. Some of these, Reuters reported, were known previously while new ones have been discovered at gas facilities and landfills.

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The spectrometer was built to identify the mineral composition of dust blown into the atmosphere from Earth's deserts and other arid regions. It does so "by measuring the wavelengths of light reflected from the surface soil in those areas."

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Also read: Satellites Capable Of Detecting Methane Emissions Will Hold Polluters Accountable

NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Investigation (EMIT), as the study is officially called, will check whether airborne dust in various parts of the world will trap or deflect heat from the sun - whether it will add to warming or cooling of planet Earth.

EMIT circles Earth once every 90 minutes from 20 kilometres high up in space. Its capabilities allow it to scan areas as small as a football field.

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Who are the biggest methane polluters?

"Some of the (methane) plumes EMIT detected are among the largest ever seen - unlike anything that has ever been observed from space," Andrew Thorpe, a JPL technologist leading the methane enquiry, was quoted by Reuters.

While methane only accounts for a small part of all greenhouse emissions caused by human, it has more heat trapping capacity than carbon dioxide. While CO2 stays in the atmosphere for centuries, methane lasts for about a decade. Essentially, monitoring and lowering methane emissions would have a more profound effect on global warming.

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Also read: Researchers Are Now Tracking Methane Produced By Cow Burps From Space

Now that we know what the device does, who are the biggest methane emitters in the world? EMIT detected super-emitters around the globe, including a cluster of 12 oil and gas plumes in Turkmenistan. Some of these plumes stretched for over 32 kilometres (20 miles).

According to scientists, these plumes in Turkmenistan expel methane at a rate of 50,400 kilograms (111,000 pounds) per hour. Other two emitters include an oilfield in New Mexico, and a waste-processing spot in Iran - accounting for 29,000 kg (60,000 pounds) of methane per hour combined.

What do you think about such fascinating tech that tracks super-emitters of methane? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Gorman, S. (2022, October 26). NASA instrument detects dozens of methane super-emitters from space. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/nasa-instrument-detects-dozens-methane-super-emitters-space-2022-10-26/