While carbon dioxide receives the lion's share of attention when it comes to , other factors come into play. Methane is responsible for about 30 percent of the increase in global temperatures since the industrial revolution, according to the International Energy Agency. About 40 percent of of human activity come from the energy sector. Identifying and mitigating these emissions is considered one of the most critical actions we can take in the near term to combat climate change.
To this end, and the Environmental Defense Fund (FED) have teamed up to solve the problem. The pair previously in major cities using sensors on Street View cars. This time, they use a mix of satellite imagery and AI.
EDF and its partners have developed a satellite which should be launched in early March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Even if there have been others MthaneSAT is expected to provide the most comprehensive picture yet of methane emissions across the planet.
The satellite will orbit the Earth 15 times a day at an altitude of more than 350 miles and focus on measuring methane levels in major oil and gas producing regions. It will be able to image large emissions from a single source as well as smaller methane sources spread over larger areas.
EDF and its partners have developed algorithms based on Google Cloud to calculate emissions at certain locations and track them over time. Artificial intelligence will also be used to locate oil and gas infrastructure such as storage containers and pumps, just as Google uses AI to detect sidewalks, street signs and road names in satellite images to Maps.
Combining the methane map with another showing oil and gas infrastructure should provide a clearer picture of where the emissions are coming from. This should provide energy companies with actionable information to help them stop leaks.
The lessons learned from the project will be accessible to the public on the And Later this year. “By making MethaneSAT datasets available on Earth Engine, which has more than 100,000 monthly active users, it is easier for users to detect trends and understand correlations between human activities and environmental impact” , Yael Maguire, Google Vice President and General Manager, Geo Developer and Sustainability. , wrote in a blog post. Earth Engine users will be able to compare methane data with other maps, such as those showing forests, regional borders and water. They will also be able to visualize methane emissions over time.