"To put this into perspective, the leak effectively doubles the emission rate for the entire Los Angeles Basin," Conley said. "On a global scale, this is big."
"We have a fully equipped airplane, and this work is perfectly suited for it," Conley said.
It's not just any airplane. Aboard the aircraft is a greenhouse gas analyzer that measures methane plumes in real time. A differential GPS system provides precise wind readings, which is vital for quantifying sources of greenhouse gases, including methane.