Breakthrough Partnership Demonstrates Potential for International Climate Collaboration
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 12, 2024 (Newswire.com) - A breakthrough partnership between GHGSat and the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SITP), leading teams in global satellite monitoring of methane emission sources, has demonstrated a significant advancement in international climate cooperation. This partnership marks the first coordinated effort between Chinese national satellite monitoring and Canada’s commercial satellite monitoring system to support global climate objectives.
Satellite technologies offer unprecedented capabilities in methane detection, with different systems capable of providing emissions data at various detection thresholds. Through this partnership, both GHGSat’s satellite constellation and China’s four satellites with Advanced Hyperspectral Imagers (AHSIs), each independently developed with advanced methods for methane emitter identification and quantification, observed methane emissions across a key energy-producing region throughout 2023. This operation is one of the largest coordinated satellite-based methane monitoring efforts to date, bringing together insights from two satellite constellations to collectively enable informed climate dialogue.
To add to the study, GHGSat contributed a selection of observations from its satellite constellation, which generates high-resolution imagery to pinpoint methane emissions to a 25-meter resolution at a near-daily cadence. SITP contributed data from its AHSI sensors, designed to achieve comprehensive spatial and temporal coverage, with a swath width of up to 60 km.
For the period of the study, a combined total of 2,441 methane plumes was detected, with GHGSat’s constellation collecting 229 scenes covering over 47,000 km2 and AHSI satellites collecting 323 scenes covering 1,198,000 km2. The average emission rate was 1,659 kg/hr for GHGSat and 5,384 kg/hr for AHSI.
GHGSat’s commercial satellites leverage rapid revisit capabilities to continuously monitor known emission sources. The national AHSI satellites use their wide swath coverage to effectively detect both known and unknown emission sources. Both satellite types offer exceptional detection capabilities, providing extensive coverage and precise emission quantification.
“Achieving climate goals requires global collaboration,” said Stephane Germain, CEO of GHGSat. “This white paper, which drew on the strengths of each satellite constellation to create a better understanding of methane emissions, is an important step forward for international climate cooperation.”
"China has emerged as a pivotal scientific force in methane emissions monitoring," said Professor Pengfei Li, leader of the Greenhouse Gas Emission Extreme Detection Group at SITP. "This collaboration highlights the synergy between China and global scientific teams. By joining forces with GHGSat, we combine strengths to provide more precise data for climate monitoring. This white paper marks China’s expanding role in climate governance and sets a benchmark for future cooperation," said Professor Yinnian Liu, the deputy director of State Key Laboratory of Infrared Physics, SITP.
Source: GHGSat
