article_snippet.sent: To calculate the emissions rate that would be required to produce the observed concentration of methane in the air, the authors performed high-resolution regional simulations using a chemical transport model, which simulates how weather moves and changes airborne chemical compounds.
article_snippet.sent: The amount of methane observed by European Space Agency satellite was much higher than previously estimated.
article_snippet.sent: The satellite observations were not detailed enough to reveal the actual sources of the methane in the Four Corners.
article_snippet.sent: the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES), flies at a higher altitude and will be used to map methane at fine resolution over the entire region.
article_snippet.sent: Using this information and ground measurements from the other research teams, the Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) will fly over suspected methane sources, making additional, highly sensitive measurements of methane.
article_snippet.sent: Depending on its flight altitude, the NASA aircraft can image methane features with a spatial resolution better than three feet (one meter) square.
article_snippet.sent: In other words, the NASA aircraft can create a mosaic showing how methane levels vary every few feet, enabling the identification of individual sources.
article_snippet.sent: If we can verify the methane detected by the satellite and identify the satellite sources, decision-makers will have critical information for any actions decision-makers are considering,' said CIRES scientist Gabrielle Pétron, one of the mission's investigators.
article_snippet.sent: In each of the seven years studied from 2003-2009, the area released about 0.59 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere.
article_snippet.sent: To calculate the emissions rate that would be required to produce the observed concentration of methane in the air, the authors performed high-resolution regional simulations using a chemical transport model, which simulates how weather moves and changes airborne chemical compounds.