Articles | Volume 17, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-863-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-863-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Feb 2024
Research article |
| 01 Feb 2024
| 01 Feb 2024
Offshore methane detection and quantification from space using sun glint measurements with the GHGSat constellation
Jean-Philippe W. MacLean
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Marianne Girard
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Dylan Jervis
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
David Marshall
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Jason McKeever
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Antoine Ramier
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Mathias Strupler
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
Ewan Tarrant
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
David Young
GHGSat Inc., Montreal, Qc, Canada, H2W 1Y5
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Antoine Ramier, Hanford Deglint, Ariane Deslieres, Lia Formenti, Marianne Girard, Dylan Jervis, David J. Marshall, Jean-Philippe W. MacLean, Jason McKeever, Andrew McKell, Mathias Strupler, and Ewan Tarrant
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5N78R, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5N78R, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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We validated the GHGSat fleet against a large set of precisely measured emissions from 2021 to 2026 and built a model linking detection probability to leak rate, wind, retrieval noise, and resolution. In typical conditions the satellites detect a leak of about 100 kilograms per hour half the time and quantify its rate accurately. This sets a clear benchmark for how reliably satellites detect and measure methane leaks, which is essential for trustworthy emissions reporting and mitigation.
Antoine Ramier, Hanford Deglint, Ariane Deslieres, Lia Formenti, Marianne Girard, Dylan Jervis, David J. Marshall, Jean-Philippe W. MacLean, Jason McKeever, Andrew McKell, Mathias Strupler, and Ewan Tarrant
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5N78R, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5N78R, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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We validated the GHGSat fleet against a large set of precisely measured emissions from 2021 to 2026 and built a model linking detection probability to leak rate, wind, retrieval noise, and resolution. In typical conditions the satellites detect a leak of about 100 kilograms per hour half the time and quantify its rate accurately. This sets a clear benchmark for how reliably satellites detect and measure methane leaks, which is essential for trustworthy emissions reporting and mitigation.
Srijana Lama, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Xin Zhang, Marianne Girard, Swarna Dutt, Suyash Nandgaonkar, Daniel J. Varon, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Lucas A. Estrada, Nicholas Balasus, Robert J. Parker, Yukio Terao, and Ilse Aben
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Methane is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas in terms of radiative forcing, with a global warming potential 27–30 times that of CO2 over a 100-year timescale. Effective mitigation requires a detailed understanding of the spatial distribution and magnitude of emissions. Here, we quantify India’s 2021 methane emissions at a resolution of up to 0.25° × 0.3125° using TROPOMI observations within the Bayesian Integrated Methane Inversion framework.
Qiurun Yu, Dylan Jervis, and Yi Huang
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3347–3366, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3347-2024, 2024
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This study estimated the effects of aerosols on GHGSat satellite methane retrieval and investigated the performance of simultaneously retrieving aerosol and methane information using a multi-angle viewing method. Results suggested that the performance of GHGSat methane retrieval improved when aerosols were considered, and the multi-angle viewing method is insensitive to the satellite angle setting. This performance assessment is useful for improving future GHGSat-like instruments.
Jack H. Bruno, Dylan Jervis, Daniel J. Varon, and Daniel J. Jacob
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2625–2636, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2625-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2625-2024, 2024
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Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and a current high-priority target for short- to mid-term climate change mitigation. Detection of individual methane emitters from space has become possible in recent years, and the volume of data for this task has been rapidly growing, outpacing processing capabilities. We introduce an automated approach, U-Plume, which can detect and quantify emissions from individual methane sources in high-spatial-resolution satellite data.
Emily Dowd, Alistair J. Manning, Bryn Orth-Lashley, Marianne Girard, James France, Rebecca E. Fisher, Dave Lowry, Mathias Lanoisellé, Joseph R. Pitt, Kieran M. Stanley, Simon O'Doherty, Dickon Young, Glen Thistlethwaite, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Emanuel Gloor, and Chris Wilson
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1599–1615, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1599-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1599-2024, 2024
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We provide the first validation of the satellite-derived emission estimates using surface-based mobile greenhouse gas surveys of an active gas leak detected near Cheltenham, UK. GHGSat’s emission estimates broadly agree with the surface-based mobile survey and steps were taken to fix the leak, highlighting the importance of satellite data in identifying emissions and helping to reduce our human impact on climate change.
Berend J. Schuit, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Pieter Bijl, Gourav Mahapatra, Anne-Wil van den Berg, Sudhanshu Pandey, Alba Lorente, Tobias Borsdorff, Sander Houweling, Daniel J. Varon, Jason McKeever, Dylan Jervis, Marianne Girard, Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, Javier Gorroño, Luis Guanter, Daniel H. Cusworth, and Ilse Aben
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9071–9098, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9071-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9071-2023, 2023
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Using two machine learning models, which were trained on TROPOMI methane satellite data, we detect 2974 methane plumes, so-called super-emitters, in 2021. We detect methane emissions globally related to urban areas or landfills, coal mining, and oil and gas production. Using our monitoring system, we identify 94 regions with frequent emissions. For 12 locations, we target high-resolution satellite instruments to enlarge and identify the exact infrastructure responsible for the emissions.
Daniel J. Jacob, Daniel J. Varon, Daniel H. Cusworth, Philip E. Dennison, Christian Frankenberg, Ritesh Gautam, Luis Guanter, John Kelley, Jason McKeever, Lesley E. Ott, Benjamin Poulter, Zhen Qu, Andrew K. Thorpe, John R. Worden, and Riley M. Duren
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9617–9646, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9617-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9617-2022, 2022
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We review the capability of satellite observations of atmospheric methane to quantify methane emissions on all scales. We cover retrieval methods, precision requirements, inverse methods for inferring emissions, source detection thresholds, and observations of system completeness. We show that current instruments already enable quantification of regional and national emissions including contributions from large point sources. Coverage and resolution will increase significantly in coming years.
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Short summary
We demonstrate the capabilities of the GHGSat satellite constellation to detect and quantify offshore methane emissions using a sun glint observation mode. Using this technique, we observe offshore methane emissions from space ranging from 180 kg h−1 to 84 000 kg h−1. We further assess the instrument performance in offshore environments, both empirically and using analytical modelling, and find that the detection limit varies with latitude and season.
We demonstrate the capabilities of the GHGSat satellite constellation to detect and quantify...
