Atmospheric methane dataset reveals that concentrations in have been increasing since 2007 at all latitudes, including the Arctic.
The Challenge:
Methane is around 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. However, observations of methane at high latitudes are limited in comparison to those at low and mid-latitudes.
Coverage by ground-based and aircraft instruments is limited to specific locations and times and satellite measurements of methane at short wavelengths require sunlight which is not available in polar winter. This leaves scientists with incomplete information on methane at high latitudes with which to assess models and a gap in our understanding of methane links with climate change.
The Solution:
Scientists at RAL Space have developed a multi-year dataset using measurements from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on board EUMETSAT’s MetOp satellite. IASI provides coverage every 12 hours, day and night, atall latitudes in all seasons. This complements data-sets produced from short-wave satellite measurements by other National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) and European groups.
The Outcome:
This dataset shows tropospheric methane to be increasing at all latitudes including the Arctic. Analysis should help establish the causes of increase in different regions eg whether the Arctic increase is entirely due to transport of methane from lower latitude sources (wetlands, wildfires, agriculture, industry) or possibly also to thawing permafrost. This could improve our understanding of the relationships between methane and climate change.
Find out more:
Case study: [ Ссылка ]
RAL Space Remote Sensing Group: [ Ссылка ]
