The discovery occurred during a study aimed at evaluating the UK's capacity to quantify methane emissions using satellite data, ground observations, and atmospheric modeling. While examining a landfill site, the research team identified a significant methane source emitting over 200 kg per hour.
The initial detection was made in March 2023. Over 11 weeks, the team collaborated to locate the exact source of the leak and informed the responsible utility company, which promptly completed repairs by June 2023. Satellite observations confirmed the cessation of emissions after the repair. The total methane emitted during the leak equaled the annual electricity consumption of over 7,500 homes.
Methane, although less abundant than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, has a global warming potential approximately 84 times higher, highlighting the urgency of monitoring and mitigating its emissions.
This event underscores the increasing precision of satellite technology in identifying specific emission sources. For decades, satellites have monitored Earth's climate, but there is growing demand for tools capable of pinpointing emissions from individual facilities to address leaks or unauthorized discharges.
Emily Dowd, Principal Investigator and PhD student at the University of Leeds, stated, "The access to satellite data provided to us through the ESA Third-Party Missions Programme allowed us to detect and monitor this leak as part of our investigation into methane point sources in the UK. GHGSat kindly provided us with additional data to monitor the leak until it was resolved. The detection of this leak, though unplanned, is a perfect example of how these satellite products can promote collaboration between scientists and industry to reduce our impact on global warming."
The detection relied on GHGSat's advanced satellite fleet, capable of identifying greenhouse gas emissions with a ground resolution of 25 meters. These satellites can trace emissions back to individual facilities, making even small leaks measurable from space.
Since joining ESA's Third Party Missions Programme in 2022, GHGSat has enabled the scientific community to access high-quality commercial data for Earth observation research. This program, active for over 45 years, includes data from more than 60 instruments across 50 missions, continuously expanding to support climate science.
Claus Zehner, Sentinel-5P Mission Manager at ESA, remarked, "This unexpected detection of a methane leak by the University of Leeds and the quick repair of it as a follow-up by the utility owner is really an impressive example of active climate mitigation."
GHGSat satellites enhance the capabilities of ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P and future missions like Sentinel-5 and the Copernicus Carbon Dioxide Monitoring missions. These projects aim to advance the measurement of methane and atmospheric carbon dioxide with higher spatial resolution, bolstering the Copernicus programme as the world's largest provider of Earth observation data.
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