In August 2024, the Tanager-1 instrument from the Carbon Mapper Coalition was launched into space. It is a satellite that is equipped with a device that was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and it aims to use spectrometry technology to track the emissions of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane. It can find sources of these gases down to the level of individual facilities or locations, such as a power plant, oil field, or landfill.
Now, the first measurements made by the device have been analyzed.
“The first greenhouse gas images from Tanager-1 are exciting and are a compelling sign of things to come,” said James Graf, director for Earth Science and Technology at JPL. “The satellite plays a crucial role in detecting and measuring methane and carbon dioxide emissions. The mission is a giant step forward in addressing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Tangier-1 has shown that a landfill outside of Karachi, Pakistan was emitting a plume of methane about 2.5-miles (4-kilometers) in length on September 19. Around 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms) of methane was being released at the site every hour.
On that same day, a coal-fired power plant near Kendal, South Africa, was emitting around 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kilograms) of carbon dioxide every hour, creating a plume of the gas that was about 2 miles (3 kilometers) long.
Just a few days later in Texas, USA on September 24, an oilfield near Midland Texas was emitting about 900 pounds (400 kilograms) of methane per hour from one of the world's largest oilfields.
The video explains how you can use the Carbon Mapper website to learn more about carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
Various chemical compounds in the atmosphere, including greenhouse gases, absorb different wavelengths of light, which creates a kind of spectral “fingerprint” that can be identified. This is how strong greenhouse gas emissions are found. There is also a JPL imaging spectrometer on the International Space Station, which generates data that can be found at EMIT.
Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit organization that is aiming to spur action that can mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions. The organization is hoping to use data to facilitate that goal, and improve decision making with scientific analyses. They have gathered a coalition of public and private organizations to meet their goals. The Carbon Mapper satellite is a project that has been in development for several years.
Sources: Carbon Mapper, JPL, NASA