A recent study collates information from multiple methane-detecting satellites to confirm record-breaking emissions, and also prove the technology’s capacity to measure leaks worldwide with speed and accuracy.
On 9 June 2023, a well blowout and resulting fire in the Karaturn East oil field in Kazakhstan led to a 10m-high blaze and a 205-day gas leak that would emit a total of roughly 130,000 tonnes of methane into the atmosphere. The leak is the biggest of its kind, exceeding the total emissions from all previously documented accidents.
Methane-detection satellites such as BAE Systems’ MethaneSAT are allowing investigators to address the challenges associated with emissions, comparing progress against goals, commitments and legal obligations. And a new study performed by a team of researchers led by the LARS group of the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain used data collated from a range of methane-sensitive satellites to track the evolution and to understand the magnitude of the 2023 leak.
Proof-of-concept for combining methane-tracking satellite data
The proof-of-concept research collated data from multispectral imaging satellites such as TROPOMI for the first few weeks of the leak, when emission rates were at their highest, as well as hyperspectral imaging satellites such as GHGSat, PRISMA, EnMAP and EMIT to provide the higher spatial resolution required once the emission rates fell below the multispectral method’s high detection threshold.
The researchers were able to significantly improve plume quantification using a logarithmic version of matched-filter retrieval to remove plume pixels, while spectral radiance and water vapour maps were employed to ensure smoke and water wouldn’t impact the plume detection. “These optimised methods include the implementation of a tailored filter to detect plumes and specific methane quantification models for hyperspectral instruments,” said the research study.
Over 100 methane plumes detected
The study proves that collating data from different methane-detecting satellites can provide a comprehensive emissions picture of future gas leaks. Individually detecting 115 methane plumes during the 205-day leak window, the research team demonstrated how “advanced space-based tools are essential for discovering and managing these super-emission events, enabling accurate reconstruction and robust emissions quantification,” said the LARS group research team.
