Top-down – How international methane emissions observatory experts use satellites to spark on-the-ground mitigation action
A day in the life of IMEO's MARS team.
Valencia, 8:05 am. Itziar Irakulis Loitxate, a methane expert and Remote Sensing Lead at the UN Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) in charge of the Methane Alert and Response System – also known as MARS – receives an alert. One of the dozens of satellites that scan the planet for methane emissions has detected a potentially large new methane plume that immediately catches Irakulis’ attention.
False positives are not uncommon, so Irakulis starts by confirming the accuracy of the reading. EnMAP, a high-resolution and high-accuracy satellite, has detected a potential plume in a hotspot. Hotspots are identified by SRON—the Netherlands Institute for Space Research—based on TROPOMI data. TROPOMI is a low-resolution sensor onboard the Sentinel-5P satellite that detects large methane plumes globally.
Matching the locations with recent TROPOMI plumes, Irakulis is fairly confident that the plume is real. Supported by an IMEO artificial intelligence (AI) tool, she digs into historical data from another set of high-resolution satellites – some up to 20 m per pixel – to pinpoint more accurately the source of the emission and understand the nature of the leak.
Time is of the essence: depending on the causes of the leak, emissions can last from minutes to weeks or even years. Satellites cannot monitor each source 24/7, but every emission that can be seen from space represents a huge leak that must be closed as soon as possible, so early notification is essential to ensure quick mitigation action.
Connecting space data to Earth
"By comparing satellite imagery with databases containing information on infrastructure and ownership, such as the data available through the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0), we are able to connect emissions to facilities, and facilities to operators," said Meghan Demeter, IMEO's MARS Programme Manager. “This allows us to identify who needs to take action and get in touch with them directly to provide information and support.”
Inform, track and support
Once it has been able to quantify and attribute the leak, the IMEO team sends a notification to the government – either a nominated focal point or the country’s UN Environment Programme (UNEP) permanent representative as soon as possible after the leak was detected. Member companies of the OGMP 2.0 are notified at the same time as the government of the country where the leak occurred, while for non-member companies, governments are responsible to send the notification.
Stakeholders are requested to give more details about where the leak may have come from, within five days. Meanwhile, the IMEO team continues to monitor the plume and further analyze the data to provide, within two weeks the full data set to the country and company involved. At this stage, companies are also requested to provide IMEO with information about the source of the plume and any mitigation actions planned or undertaken to stop the leak. All non-proprietary data are made available to the public on the Eye on Methane Data Platform between 30 to 75 days after the event.
"We work closely with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) colleagues to identify focal points in the countries who will take responsibility to push for action on an alert and fix the methane leak," said Demeter. "Many alerts simply do not reach those in charge and remain unanswered. But our biggest challenge is that stakeholders who get notified don’t always take the necessary action."
Another challenge arises when countries do not know where to start to fix a leak. To address the knowledge gap, IMEO experts work with partners throughout the process, offering training and technical support to develop mitigation actions.
The goal of MARS is to drive methane mitigation action. We do this by improving global transparency on methane emissions and connecting data detection to action on the ground. Through the Methane Alert and Response System, IMEO strives to drive precise and meaningful action towards mitigation at the speed and scale necessary to quickly reduce methane emissions. Thanks to its focus on transparency and support, IMEO builds constructive and lasting partnerships that allow stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to demonstrate leadership and commitment to improving their operations and championing climate action.