NASA has discovered more than 50 International Space Station methane

NASA has discovered more than 50 International Space Station methane superemitters

NASA’s EMIT mission was launched to study the effects of mineral dust and other pollutants on global warming. In fact, these elements present in Earth’s atmosphere likely block or deflect some of the sun’s heat. They therefore have a direct impact on global warming. For example, it is now well documented that fighting certain types of pollution effectively has reduced the aerosols present in the atmosphere, which has had the perverse effect of worsening global warming. However, as part of this research, a NASA spectrograph has made dark discoveries.

In fact, this instrument, installed on the International Space Station last July, identified more than 50 superemitters of methane on the Earth’s surface, mainly in Central Asia, the Middle East and the southwestern United States. Most of these super emitters correspond to oil and gas plants, but not only. In fact, huge landfills, where organic waste is deposited, are also affected. And if some of these sites had already been identified as problematic, others were completely unknown for the time being. The NASA spectrograph has thus made it possible to identify new leaks.

If the release of methane into the atmosphere is a concern, it is because this gas produces a greenhouse effect 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. The faster it accelerates global warming and climate change.

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