Satellite detects 'super pollution' that is warming the planet

High above Earth, a satellite orbits the planet every day. It hunts for leaks of methane—an invisible, superpolluting gas that is dramatically warming the planet.

Satellite measurements have identified the "most dangerous culprit" causing climate change in the world.

MethaneSAT is a next-generation satellite designed to detect emissions sources anywhere in the world. When combined with Google's computing power and artificial intelligence, the data provided by the satellite can be used to analyze and map oil and gas infrastructure.

Artist's rendering of the MethaneSAT satellite, a satellite designed to measure methane pollution levels around the world. (Photo: MethaneSAT).

Until now, measuring methane leaks has been expensive, requiring aircraft and handheld infrared cameras. This only provides a snapshot in time, and it takes years of research and compilation to publish the results.

Mapping oil and gas operations is difficult. The locations of wells, industrial pumps, and storage tanks change rapidly, so maps need to be updated frequently. A satellite can help.

Initial findings from MethaneSAT recently found that the oil and gas industry is emitting at an average rate three to five times higher than Environmental Protection Agency statistics and far exceeding industry estimates by 2023.

The Permian Basin , one of the world's most productive oil and gas basins, is leaking methane at a rate 9 to 14.5 times higher than industry limits. The Appalachian Basin is leaking methane at four times the rate set. And in Utah, leaks are 45 times higher than the regulatory limit.

'This is really a very significant discovery. The images that we are starting to see are really extraordinary in terms of the overall accuracy of the data ,' said Ritesh Gautam, lead senior scientist of MethaneSAT.

Natural gas is flared at Andrews, Texas, part of the Permian Basin, in March 2022. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images).

Methane pollution has long been underestimated and poorly understood, but natural gas is up to 90 percent methane. What scientists do know is that methane traps about 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere.

'Underestimating the actual level of methane emissions means underestimating their warming impact. Given the power of methane, this is a real problem. If we don't understand the scale of the problem, mitigation efforts won't be strong enough, ' said Antoine Halff, co-founder and chief analyst at environmental watchdog group Kayrros.

"Shocking discovery"

The satellite's initial reports were shocking. More than half a million wells produce only 6% to 7% of the oil and gas in the US but generate about 50% of the industry's methane pollution.

The satellite also collects data from two other major oil-producing countries, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The problem is particularly acute in Turkmenistan's South Caspian Basin, one of the planet's largest methane hotspots. According to data, the region is pumping methane at 1.5 times the rate of the Permian Basin in the United States—more than 970,000 pounds per hour.

Scientists trust the MethaneSAT satellite's figures because the data provided is consistent with previous studies.

'The Kayrros group's 2023 analysis of global methane pollution found that Turkmenistan has the highest petroleum methane intensity in the world, although emissions have been declining ,' said Halff.

Turkmenistan is a major oil and gas producer with aging infrastructure, Halff said. Dilapidated equipment tends to leak more.

MethaneSAT also provided the first images of methane emissions from Venezuela, a South American oil country with the world's largest oil reserves. But Venezuela's proximity to the tropics and frequent cloud cover make recording the country's methane emissions often difficult.

'What remains is to look at methane between clouds. And for the first time, satellites have revealed major emission hotspots in persistently cloudy areas like Venezuela ,' said Gautam.

'Addressing methane emissions will play a critical role in slowing the climate crisis. Cutting methane pollution is the fastest way to slow the climate crisis, so the oil and gas industry needs to do more to reduce methane,' said Rob Jackson, president of the Global Carbon Project and professor of climate at Stanford University.

Mr Jackson stressed that the climate crisis still needed a real solution. That was to stop using fossil fuels altogether.