SMART-CH4 - Satellite-based methane quantification

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SMART-CH4 - Satellite-based methane quantification#

The ESA initiative SMART-CH4 (Satellite Monitoring of Atmospheric Methane) is part of the EC-ESA JOINT EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE INITIATIVE. It builds upon previous experience and projects (e.g., Methane+, HighResCH4, MethEO, MethaneCAMP, etc.) in satellite-based methane quantification, aiming to enhance emission products derived from satellites. SMART-CH4 is an ESA initiative, coordinated by CEA (LSCE) and carried out by a consortium of 12 academic and industrial partners in Europe and Canada.

Objectives#

The key objectives and tasks of SMART-CH4 include:

  • Enhancing TROPOMI retrievals and multi-sensor products, incorporating SWIR/TIR data from IASI and TROPOMI.

Advancing fine-scale emission detection using mid-resolution mappers like TROPOMI and high-resolution imagers such as GHGSat, MethaneSAT, EnMAP, or PRISMA. These improvements will lower detection thresholds, enabling the identification of smaller emitters like landfills, wetlands, and agricultural sources.

  • Utilizing improved products to deepen our understanding of regional methane budgets, focusing on three key target regions:

  1. Bucharest, Romania, for its landfill super-emitters;

  2. the Arctic, with its scientific interest in peatland and wetland emissions, alongside technical detection challenges arising from Arctic night and albedo effects (from snow and cloud cover); and

  3. South America, concerning tropical wetlands, forest fires, and anthropogenic emissions from landfills and agriculture.

  • Contributing to the attribution of recent trends in CH4 concentrations to specific sectors on a global scale.

SMART-CH4 is composed of 3 work packages: WP1 for the scientific requirement consolidation, WP2 for the product development and validation, and WP3 for the scientific impact and the assessment of new products and methods. CEA-LSCE is in charge of the scientific and project coordination, and contributes to regional and global inversions as part of WP3.

Inversions are performed within the CIF: regional inversions of CH4 in South America with CHIMERE, and global inversions of CH4 and isotopes with LMDz. Further details on the project can be found here <https://smart-ch4.lsce.ipsl.fr/>.

Contacts#

For further requests or informations, please contact:

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