JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

EMIT Spots Methane Hotspots

Oct. 25, 2022
This image shows a 2-mile (3-kilometer) long plume of methane southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is much more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

click here for larger version of figure A for PIA25592
Figure A

click here for larger version of figure B for PIA25592
Figure B

Click on images for larger versions

A plume of methane – a potent greenhouse gas about 80 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide – is detected flowing from an area southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in an image that uses data from NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission. The 2-mile (3.3-kilometer) long plume originates in an area known as the Permian Basin, which spans parts of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas and is one of the largest oilfields in the world.

EMIT uses an imaging spectrometer to detect the unique pattern of reflected and absorbed light – called a spectral fingerprint – from various materials on Earth's surface and in its atmosphere. Perched on the International Space Station, EMIT was originally intended to map the prevalence of minerals in Earth's arid regions, such as the deserts of Africa and Australia. Scientists verified that EMIT could also detect methane and carbon dioxide when they were checking the accuracy of the image spectrometer's mineral data.

Figure A shows 12 plumes from oil and gas infrastructure east of Hazar, Turkmenistan, a port city on the Caspian Sea. Some of the plumes, which are blowing westward, stretch for more than 20 miles (32 kilometers).

Figure B shows a methane plume from a landfill south of Tehran, Iran, that is at least 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) long. Methane is a byproduct of the decomposition of organic material, and substantial emissions are often detected around landfills.

The data for these images was collected by EMIT in August 2022.

Scientists estimate flow rates of 20.2 tons (18.3 metric tons) per hour at the Permian site, 55.6 tons (50.4 metric tons) per hour in total for the Turkmenistan sources, and 9.4 tons (8.5 metric tons) per hour at the Iran site. While quite large, these emission rates are broadly consistent with previous studies of locations like the Permian Basin, as well as emission source types like landfills. The Turkmenistan example has a similar magnitude to the 2015 Aliso Canyon Blowout.

EMIT was selected from the Earth Venture Instrument-4 solicitation under the Earth Science Division of NASA Science Mission Directorate and was developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. It launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022. The instrument's data will be delivered to the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for use by other researchers and the public.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Earth
Spacecraft
  • International Space Station (ISS)
Instrument
  • EMIT
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Keep Exploring

EMIT Methane Spectral Fingerprint

NASA's EMIT Measures Surface Dust in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia

NASA's EMIT Collects Mineral Maps, Spectral Fingerprints From Nevada

NASA's EMIT Generates Image Cube of Surface Minerals in Northwest Nevada

EMIT Instrument's First Light

NASA's EMIT Mission Generates Image Cube of Surface Minerals in Southwestern Libya

EMIT Put to the Test at JPL

EMIT Inside SpaceX Falcon 9 Trunk Ahead of Transport

EMIT Loaded Into SpaceX Falcon 9 Trunk Before Transport

EMIT's Components Come Together at JPL

Related Topic

News .

NASA Uses 30-Year Satellite Record to Track and Project Rising Seas

News .

Ranking Atmospheric Rivers: New Study Finds World of Potential

Event April 20, 2023 .

Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) Mission

News .

NASA and Italian Space Agency Join Forces on Air Pollution Mission

News .

NASA-ISRO Science Instruments Arrive in India Ahead of 2024 Launch

News .

NASA Space Mission Takes Stock of Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Countries

News .

Removing Traces of Life in Lab Helps NASA Scientists Study Its Origins

News .

Dynamic NASA-Built Weather Sensors Enlisted to Track Tropical Cyclones

News .

NASA-ISRO Earth Science Instruments Get Send-Off Before Moving to India

News .

Scientists Track Tropical Landslide Creeping Below an African City

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018