Google Joins Satellite Mission To Scan Globe for Methane Leaks (ft.com) 26
A new satellite mission to track planet-warming emissions of methane gas is finally set to launch, now aided with AI technology to help build a global map of oil and gas infrastructure and surveil it for leaks [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source]. From a report: The MethaneSAT satellite was announced by the Environmental Defense Fund six years ago as a way to monitor releases of methane, an invisible gas that researchers estimate is responsible for almost a third of the emissions-induced increase in global temperatures since the start of the industrial era. The satellite is now scheduled to blast into space in March aboard a rocket operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. On Wednesday, Google said it would provide the AI computing capabilities required to crunch vast amounts of data produced by the orbiting methane monitor.
MethaneSAT is the latest example of how satellites are used to detect methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, which is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year timescale. Experts say reducing methane emissions is one of the most powerful short-term actions needed to address global warming. The International Energy Agency this year found the global energy industry was responsible for 135mn tonnes of methane emissions in 2022, only slightly below record high levels of 2019. Existing satellites have detected more than 500 "super-emitting" events in 2022 from oil and gas operations, the IEA said, with a further 100 such events at coal mines, which can release methane during or after operations.
MethaneSAT is the latest example of how satellites are used to detect methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, which is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year timescale. Experts say reducing methane emissions is one of the most powerful short-term actions needed to address global warming. The International Energy Agency this year found the global energy industry was responsible for 135mn tonnes of methane emissions in 2022, only slightly below record high levels of 2019. Existing satellites have detected more than 500 "super-emitting" events in 2022 from oil and gas operations, the IEA said, with a further 100 such events at coal mines, which can release methane during or after operations.
How much effect if ~all methane leaks shut off? (Score:1)
Would that make a noticeable difference to global temperatures within a year or so?
We need some good news and encouragement
within a few years, yes, within 1, er, um, maybe? (Score:2)
Would that make a noticeable difference to global temperatures within a year or so?
Maybe not within 1 year, but within a few years.
Methane lasts about a dozen years [iea.org], so we should start to feel positive effects within one US Presidential election-cycle.
Re: (Score:2)
Collectively, the spills from the three Nord Stream damaged pipelines pumped into the atmosphere 478,000 tonnes of methane gas.
Since human methane emissions per year are 363 million tonnes, that means that the Nord Stream leak contributed about 1/8th of one percent of the emissions, or roughly the same as twelve hours of typical human emissions.
Re: within a few years, yes, within 1, er, um, may (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I doubt that there was so much gas in the pipeline.
And when the pipeline got bombed, the supplier shut down its delivery.
Nordstream 2 was not active anyway.
A very small number [Re:within a few years, ye...] (Score:2)
1. So you admit the Democrats are responsible.
Huh? No, it is so small a number that I don't think it matters who's responsible. Didn't I say that? No, I guess not. I said it was 1/8th of one percent, and apparently I just assumed that any reader would understand this is a small amount. Apparently I assumed wrong. 1/8 of a percent is a very small number.
2. You presented a methane emissions number with no source.
The particular value I quoted was the number from Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]. Since it's three orders of magnitude larger than the Nord Stream leak, I didn't bother to do a detailed check to find original sources and nai
Would it make a noticeable difference? [Re: within (Score:2)
Would that make a noticeable difference to global temperatures within a year or so?
Maybe not within 1 year, but within a few years.
According to https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com] , we could reduce methane emissions by 57% by 2030 using existing technologies. They calculate that this would reduce global warming by 0.25C by 2050, and 0.5C by 2100.
Re: (Score:1)
Thanks for the research and link.
Re:How much effect if ~all methane leaks shut off? (Score:4, Interesting)
House is on fire. Waiting 7 minutes for the Fire Department to arrive is going to make it even more on fire. And even after the firefighters go at it for another 2 to 3 minutes, it's not really any better. So there's no point in calling the fire department.
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Your neighbour, whos house is not yet on fire might think otherwise.
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Technically he's not my neighbor anymore, because both of our houses burnt down and we moved away.
Nord Stream leak was small compared to other (Score:3)
Nord Stream leak may have been largest methane emission ever recorded https://www.newscientist.com/a... [newscientist.com]
Among the largest single emissions. Leaving out that "single" makes a difference.
Humans emit about a million tonnes of methane into the atmosphere per day. The figure given in that link (between 56,000 and 155,000 tonnes of methane) comes out to be something like one to five hours of what we emit every day of the y
Re: (Score:1)
I personally punished the 3 Dems who did it. Happy now?
(For $300 I'll reveal their names.)
giving beaver ponds the attention they deserve (Score:2)
Finally giving those beaver ponds the attention they deserve [slashdot.org]. I like beaver, however the world must understand our impending doom and make amends.
But what happened to . . . (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
There's a bigly Mar-a-Lago joke in there.
Would they rat on self? (Score:1)
"Oh look, our grand satellite found methane emanating from a data center of some kind. Let's see, that's owned by ... uh, oh oh, hey look your shoelace is untied!"
Re: (Score:2)
Hard to see how a data center would be leaking methane.
Re: (Score:1)
Poorly maintained backup power generator.
Re: (Score:2)
GHGSat (Score:3)
There is already a private sector company that does exactly that: put satellites up in space that monitor for methane. They first launched in 2016. Their primary markets are oil/gas and coal companies.
This is an overview [esa.int], including the instruments, and this is their web site [ghgsat.com].
Google saving the planet from sanity. (Score:2)