Add NASA-expands and Inverse-methane stories

stories/emit-extension-nasa-expands.stories.mdx

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+---
+id: 'emit-extension-nasa-expands'
+name: NASA Expands Capabilities in Methane Detection from Air and Space
+description: 'To meet needs for methane measurement, two key NASA technologies have made recent steps. The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) project is expanding its methane detection from space, and Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) test flights are helping to improve scientific understanding of sources of methane. '
+media:
+  src: ::file ./media/nasa-expands-img1.png
+  alt: instrument in space over distant view of earth and black space.
+  author:
+    name: NASA
+
+pubDate: 2024-12-05
+taxonomy:
+  - name: Topics
+    values:
+      - Large Emission Events
+  - name: Gas
+    values:
+      - CH₄
+---
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+  Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and is the second-largest contributor to rising global temperatures after carbon dioxide (CO₂). Yet the sources of methane are not as well understood as CO₂, and NASA scientists are responding to that challenge by expanding missions and putting instruments to work in new ways.
+
+  Two key technologies have made recent steps to meet the need for methane measurements. The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) project is expanding its methane detection from space, and Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) test flights are helping to improve scientific understanding of sources of methane. 
+  </Prose>
+  </Block>
+
+<Block>
+    <Prose>
+        ## EMIT Expands Operations with a Renewed Focus on Methane
+        EMIT is a NASA instrument aboard the International Space Station. It was initially designed to measure the effects of mineral dust on the climate, but this versatile instrument has many capabilities, including detection of methane plumes from large emission events. Now [the EMIT mission will be extended for an additional three years](https://www.nasa.gov/missions/emit/nasas-emit-will-explore-diverse-science-questions-on-extended-mission/), with methane observations as one of its primary focus areas. 
+
+        <Figure>
+            <Image
+                src={new URL('./media/nasa-expands-img1.png', import.meta.url).href}
+                alt="instrument in space over distant view of earth and black space"
+                attrAuthor="NASA"
+            />
+            <Caption>
+                The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT, instrument was installed on the port side of the International Space Station's truss structure in July 2022. EMIT began as a mineral dust source observation experiment, though the mission has recently been extended for three years, enabling it to focus on detecting methane emissions.
+            </Caption>
+        </Figure>
+
+        “The extended mission is particularly exciting,” said Dr. Andrew Thorpe, a Research Technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Initially, EMIT only took measurements over parts of the world that produced large amounts of dust, like deserts. Coincidentally, some of these desert regions also contained large methane plumes, such as emissions from oil and gas operations in the Middle East. EMIT also detected large methane plumes coming from landfills within arid regions. “But we want to see beyond that,” said Thorpe. “EMIT will soon have near global coverage, and that’s tremendous.”
+
+        This work is particularly beneficial because in some cases methane leaks can be repaired. Rapid detection of leaks can help facility operators, stakeholders, and decision-makers respond to large methane emissions events, thereby preventing further pollution, protecting nearby workers and communities, and supporting more efficient facility operation.
+
+        Collecting data is an important step in understanding methane emissions, but to enable usability of the data, it must then be shared in ways that are easy to access and understand.
+
+        To that end, an updated data viewer developed by the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center (US GHG Center) allows users to interact with a global map of large, point-source methane plumes. Users can now trace EMIT observation passes over time, quantify plumes within a selected geographic region, and use a new point-and-click tool to measure plume size in miles or kilometers. 
+    </Prose>
+</Block>
+<Block type="wide">
+  <Figure>
+    <Embed
+      height="800"
+      src="https://earth.gov/ghgcenter/custom-interfaces/emit-ch4plume-v1"
+    />
+  </Figure>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+    <Prose>
+        ## AVIRIS-3 Takes Flight to Spot Methane Sources
+        Aircraft-based measurement instruments are another tool in methane detection, using a similar technology as EMIT, but on a more localized scale. “They can see smaller emissions,” said Thorpe, and because aircraft-based instruments cover a smaller area, they can produce higher resolution measurements and fill gaps in satellite data where overpasses are less frequent.
+
+        The [AVIRIS-3](https://airbornescience.jpl.nasa.gov/instruments/aviris-3) instrument is the third generation of Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometers, and it can be flown on a variety of aircraft. Two recent collaborative airborne projects examined methane emissions for different geographic regions and sources.
+
+        The first of these collaborations was a [two-week research effort](https://csl.noaa.gov/groups/csl3/measurements/2024ammbec/), joined by NASA, marking the launch of NOAA’s four-year [AiRMAPS](https://csl.noaa.gov/projects/airmaps/) (Airborne and Remote sensing Methane and Air Pollutant Surveys) initiative. Aboard research aircraft, NOAA scientists used direct air sampling to measure the total amount of methane in the air, while NASA’s AVIRIS-3 mapped methane concentrations across the study area to pinpoint the sources of methane. The flights, which were supported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, identified a number of large methane plumes which may be connected to sources like agriculture and landfills.
+
+        "The state of Colorado has been a leader in managing methane emissions," said Steven Brown, Tropospheric Chemistry Program Leader with NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory. "The tiered observing system deployed this summer, including satellite remote sensing, AVIRIS flights, airborne in-situ measurements and ground based observations, will provide powerful new data to assess current methane emissions inventories for Colorado and other NOAA and NASA partners at the state level."
+
+        Another AVIRIS-3 demonstration project measured methane plumes over the Gulf of Mexico. During a 12-day campaign, methane emissions from drilling platforms were measured by three different methods: by ship, by satellite, and from an AVIRIS-equipped aircraft. Detection of emissions over open water has historically been more challenging for satellite-based observations alone, so by leveraging different observation technologies and new methods, researchers are able to collect and validate data over wider geographic ranges. 
+
+        Dr. Ryan Stauffer, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was one of the scientists who took part in the field research. “What we did out there was very cool,” he said. “The newest instruments are getting better and better data. We’re learning more and more.”
+
+        The AVIRIS-3 instrument was flown aboard a series of NASA [SCOAPE](https://www-air.larc.nasa.gov/missions/scoape/index.html) (Satellite Coastal and Oceanic Atmospheric Pollution Experiment) flights, in coordination with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The goal of the project was “to understand all we can about oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Stauffer.
+
+        <Figure>
+            <Image
+                src={new URL('./media/nasa-expands-img2.png', import.meta.url).href}
+                alt="platform in ocean with equipment, flare and approaching helecopter"
+                attrAuthor="Ryan Stauffer (NASA/GSFC)"
+            />
+            <Caption>
+                The Petronius deepwater oil platform flaring during a May 2019 SCOAPE cruise. The helicopter in the foreground is used as a means of transporting personnel to and from the platform.
+            </Caption>
+        </Figure>
+
+        The science teams observed around 60 offshore platforms and identified “dozens of plumes,” according to Stauffer. “Finding and sharing information on methane leaks is low-hanging fruit in terms of supporting solutions, and in terms of reducing emissions,” he explained.
+
+        Localized measurements are particularly useful for facility managers and stakeholders, in part because methane plumes can be spotted in real time during flyovers, allowing for swift action to remedy leaks or repair malfunctioning equipment. The spectral data is “clear as day,” said Thorpe. “It makes the invisible visible.”
+
+        Most importantly, Stauffer explained how this work will support both public and private decision-makers. “We provide this data to help people make decisions; to help people solve problems,” he said. “This is going to be a huge benefit.”
+
+        AVIRIS data is planned to be made available on the US GHG Center portal in 2025.
+
+    </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    **Author:**
+    *Karin Kirk, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory*
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+<Block>
+    <Prose>
+        ## Resources for Data Users 
+        - Detailed dataset information: <Link to='/data-catalog/emit-ch4plume-v1'>EMIT Methane Point Source Plume Complexes</Link>
+
+    </Prose>
+</Block>

stories/methane-inverse-models.stories.mdx

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+---
+id: 'methane-inverse-models'
+name: Earth System Models to Uncover Drivers of Natural Methane Emissions
+description: 'Major natural sources of methane, like wetlands, create complications in identifying types and quantities of emissions. Researchers from NASA and NOAA are using advanced technology and models to deepen understanding of the role of natural sources and sinks in global atmospheric concentrations and support improved estimates in the global methane budget.'
+media:
+  src: ::file ./media/nasa-expands-img1.png
+  alt: instrument in space over distant view of earth and black space.
+  author:
+    name: NASA
+
+pubDate: 2024-12-05
+taxonomy:
+  - name: Topics
+    values:
+      - Large Emission Events
+  - name: Gas
+    values:
+      - CH₄
+---
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+  Increasing methane in the atmosphere, whether from fossil fuels, landfills, grazing animals, wetlands, or wildfires, has the same effect no matter the source: The potent greenhouse gas is a major contributor to rising global temperatures.
+
+  As stakeholders – from facility operators to land managers to governments – work to reduce these methane emissions, however, knowing their source becomes key to tracking success. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center portal houses several complementary resources to identify sources and estimated levels of atmospheric methane.
+
+  About a third of methane emissions are from wetlands, generated naturally as a byproduct of microbes in oxygen-depleted soils. That microscopic level is where researcher Ben Poulter, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, started building the <Link to='/data-catalog/lpjeosim-wetlandch4-grid-v1'>NASA Wetlands Methane Emissions Model</Link>, which incorporates satellite observations, measurements from field campaigns such as [Blue Flux](https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/earth-science/nasas-blueflux-campaign-supports-blue-carbon-management-in-south-florida/), and information about weather patterns.
+
+  “We rely on understanding the mechanics of how microbes produce methane, and how that’s related to temperature, moisture, soil type, etc.,” Poulter said. “The goal is to help us understand how much methane is coming from global wetlands, and then use that information to look at whether changes in temperature are influencing that trend.”
+
+          <Figure>
+            <Image
+                src={new URL('./media/nasa-expands-img1.png', import.meta.url).href}
+                alt="trees with green leaves and many roots at base extending into soil"
+                attrAuthor="NASA/Glenn Wolfe"
+            />
+            <Caption>
+                Wetlands, like this mangrove forest in south Florida that was one of the sites of NASA’s Blue Flux field campaign, are a major natural source of methane emissions, generated by microbes in the water-logged and oxygen depleted soils. Scientists use a variety of tools to measure how these sources contribute to the global methane budget, including the NASA Wetland Methane Emissions Model available in the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Center.
+            </Caption>
+        </Figure>
+
+  In the tropics, microbes become more active when temperatures are higher, and wetter conditions lead to more flooding and therefore more oxygen-depleted soils. In the Arctic, thawing permafrost frees up buried carbon that had previously been frozen in place and inaccessible to microbes.
+
+  If wetlands are producing more methane as temperatures rise, that increase in emissions could dampen some of the progress made by reducing emissions from sources related to human activities.
+
+  “I think it emphasizes the need to take an Earth system perspective on the global methane budget,” Poulter said. “There are immediate opportunities to address anthropogenic sources, but at the same time, now that we’re seeing farther-reaching temperature impacts on Earth systems, we need to keep track of the more natural sources of greenhouse gasses as well.”
+
+      <Figure>
+        <video
+            src={new URL('./media/AV320231008t161012_realtime_screen_recording_plume2.mov', import.meta.url).href}
+            width="900"
+            height="600"
+            controls
+            autoplay
+            loop
+            poster={new URL('./media/EMIT_AVIRIS3_Video_Image_Play_Arrow_Middle.jpg', import.meta.url).href}
+            >
+        </video>
+        <Caption attrAuthor="NASA/JPL-Caltech" alt="Video showing methane plumes observed in real time">
+            Video of AVIRIS-3 real time methane plume view during flight.
+        </Caption>
+    </Figure>
+
+  While the wetlands methane model starts, literally, from the ground up, other models – such as NOAA’s Carbon Tracker Methane Emissions – take the opposite approach. This methane tracker ingests atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration data along with other conditions like winds and weather and then estimates emissions, said Lori Bruhwiler, a physical scientist with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado.
+
+  “We’re not trying to forecast the future concentrations of methane, instead these numerical techniques go back in time to find the distribution and fluxes of methane sources over the past several decades,” Bruhwiler said.
+
+  NOAA also has a tool to track carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, but methane is such a different compound that it needs its own specific model, she said. Once in the atmosphere, CO2 is very stable and can last for 300 to 1,000 years. Methane, on the other hand, reacts with other gasses in the atmosphere and is removed by atmospheric chemistry, resulting in an atmospheric half-life of about 10 years.
+
+  “That’s why there’s so much attention on methane,” Bruhwiler said. “If emissions decrease, and what’s already there is removed within 10 years, there can be a near term benefit of avoided temperature increases.”
+
+  This effort, however, is complicated by the numerous sources of methane. Emissions are the result of unintentional oil and gas pipeline or coal mine leaks, agricultural sources (livestock and rice), landfills, sewage waste, reservoirs, wildfires, wetlands and permafrost thawing – it’s a challenge to determine the budget of what is from natural sources, and what is human-caused, she said.
+
+          <Figure>
+            <Image
+                src={new URL('./media/nasa-expands-img1.png', import.meta.url).href}
+                alt="satellite view of surface with line of smoke as seen from space in wildfire area"
+                attrAuthor="NASA"
+            />
+            <Caption>
+                Wildfires just northwest of California's Eagle Lake and Honey Lake (far left) are pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above The Golden State (Aug. 7, 2024). Wildfires are a source of pyrogenic methane emissions which contribute to global atmospheric concentrations of the gas. 
+            </Caption>
+        </Figure>
+
+  While NOAA’s model uses information from a global network of surface sampling sites, other models take a space-based vantage point and utilize satellite observations to fill in gaps in data. NASA's Carbon Monitoring System Flux team in partnership with Harvard University uses measurements from Japan’s Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite, or <Link to="/data-catalog/gosat-based-ch4budget-yeargrid-v1">GOSAT</Link>, to derive spatially-resolved estimates of total global methane emissions, as well as source-specific estimates for wetlands and various human-related emissions.
+
+  Quantifying different forms of methane to help decipher their source is critically important to understand global trends in methane. As researchers develop innovative and complementary models and methods of observation, they gain new insights into the complex balance of natural and human-caused sources of methane.
+
+  Findings also contribute to cooperative international research efforts like the Global Carbon Project’s [Global Methane Budget](https://www.globalcarbonproject.org/methanebudget/), and allow decision-makers to track progress of initiatives including the [Global Methane Pledge](https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/), in which more than 150 countries committed to reducing methane emissions by 30 percent of 2020 levels by the end of the decade.
+
+  </Prose>
+  </Block>
+
+
+<Block>
+  <Prose>
+    **Author:**
+    *Kate Ramsayer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center*
+  </Prose>
+</Block>
+
+
+
+<Block>
+    <Prose>
+        ## Resources for Data Users 
+        - Detailed information for NASA’s Wetland Methane Emissions dataset: <Link to="/data-catalog/lpjeosim-wetlandch4-grid-v1">Wetland Methane Emissions, LPJ-EOSIM Model </Link>
+        - Detailed information for NOAA’s Carbon Tracker Methane Emissions dataset: <Link to="/data-catalog/tm54dvar-ch4flux-monthgrid-v1">TM5-4DVar Isotopic Methane Inverse Fluxes </Link>
+        - Detailed information for the GOSAT dataset: <Link to="/data-catalog/gosat-based-ch4budget-yeargrid-v1">GOSAT-based Top-down Total and Natural Methane Emissions </Link>
+
+    </Prose>
+</Block>