Methane, invisible to the human eye, has more than 80 times the heating power of carbon dioxide. Google will help the Environmental Defense Fund quantify and trace methane emissions back to their source.
Google is going to help locate large methane emissions from space, using data provided by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) satellite, MethaneSAT, which is due to go into orbit on a SpaceX rocket this March.
At an altitude of more than 563 kilometers, the high-resolution satellite will orbit the Earth 15 times a day and will quantify and trace methane emissions back to their source with unprecedented precision, whether they are high-emission or small sources spread over a wide area.
Satellite data, combined with artificial intelligence, algorithms, cloud computing and mapping services such as Google Maps, Street View and Waze, will make it possible to calculate the amount of methane emitted, monitor emissions over time, identify oil and gas infrastructures (such as wells or oil storage containers) around the world and better understand how to reduce these emissions.
The algorithms are powered by Google Cloud and were developed in collaboration with scientists from Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and its Center for Astrophysics and with scientists from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
“With this information, energy companies, researchers and the public sector can take action to reduce emissions from oil and gas infrastructure more quickly and effectively,” says Google in its blog.
The information will be available later this year on the MethaneSAT website and accessible via Google Earth Engine (a platform for environmental monitoring on a planetary scale). By making MethaneSAT datasets available on Earth Engine, which has more than 100 000 monthly active users, it becomes easier for researchers, organizations and other users to identify trends and understand the correlations between human activities and environmental impact.
For example, Earth Engine users can combine methane data with other datasets, such as soil cover, forests, water, ecosystems, regional boundaries, to track methane emissions in a specific area over time.
Methane, invisible to the human eye, has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Despite the commitments made by companies and governments to reduce emissions, it is unclear whether the existence of more data will necessarily result in reductions, in the absence of stricter regulation.
Methane emissions from fossil fuels are significantly underreported. In a 2018 study, EDF scientists revealed that emissions from oil and gas operations in the US were 60% higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s inventories. In addition, new empirical evidence based on satellite observations suggests that methane from global oil and gas operations is 30% higher than the values reported to the United Nations under the Paris Agreement.
“Our mission is to take action and help countries, companies and communities control and reduce emissions faster, while documenting their progress,” said Steve Hamburg, EDF’s chief scientist, according to a transcript of an online conference with journalists. “It is also about accountability, giving policymakers, investors and the public an unprecedented opportunity to see and compare these results.”
The tool shows how the Earth has evolved since 1984, after a series of natural disasters, and phenomena such as urbanization, deforestation, and climate change.
This article addresses an action that promotes inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fosters innovation. SDG 9 also supports greater adoption of renewable technologies.
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