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Since launching 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer aboard the International Space Station has shown an ability to detect more than just surface minerals.<\/em><\/p>\n More than a year after first detecting methane plumes from its perch aboard the International Space Station, data from NASA\u2019s EMIT instrument is now being used to identify point-source emissions of greenhouse gases with a proficiency that has surprised even its designers.<\/p>\n Short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, EMIT was launched in July 2022 to map 10 key minerals on the surface of the world\u2019s arid regions. Those mineral-related observations, which are already available to researchers and the public, will help improve understanding of how dust that gets lofted into the atmosphere affects climate.<\/p>\n Detecting methane was not part of EMIT\u2019s primary mission, but the instrument\u2019s designers did expect the imaging spectrometer to have the capability. Now, with more than 750 emissions sources identified since August 2022 \u2013 some small, others in remote locations, and others persistent in time \u2013 the instrument has more than delivered in that regard, according to a new study published in Science Advances.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were a little cautious at first about what we could do with the instrument,\u201d said Andrew Thorpe, a research technologist on the EMIT science team at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the paper\u2019s lead author. \u201cIt has exceeded our expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n By knowing where methane emissions are coming from, operators of landfills, agriculture sites, oil and gas facilities, and other methane producers have an opportunity to address them. Tracking human-caused emissions of methane is key to limiting climate change because it offers a comparatively low-cost, rapid approach to reducing greenhouse gases. Methane lingers in the atmosphere for about a decade, but during this span, it\u2019s up to 80 times more powerful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, which remains for centuries.<\/p>\n EMIT has proven effective at spotting emission sources both big (tens of thousands of pounds of methane per hour) and surprisingly small (down to the hundreds of pounds of methane per hour). This is important because it permits identification of a greater number of \u201csuper-emitters\u201d \u2013 sources that produce disproportionate shares of total emissions. <\/p>\n The new study documents how EMIT, based on its first 30 days of greenhouse gas detection, can observe 60% to 85% of the methane plumes typically seen in airborne campaigns.<\/p>\n From several thousand feet above the ground, methane-detecting instruments on aircraft are more sensitive, but to warrant sending a plane, researchers need prior indication that they\u2019ll detect methane. Many areas are not examined because they are considered too remote, too risky, or too costly. Additionally, the campaigns that do occur cover relatively limited areas for short periods.<\/p>\n On the other hand, from about 250 miles (400 kilometers) altitude on the space station, EMIT collects data over a large swath of the planet \u2013 specifically the arid regions that fall between 51.6 degrees north and south latitude. The imaging spectrometer captures 50-mile-by-50-mile (80-kilometer-by-80-kilometer) images of the surface \u2013 researchers call them \u201cscenes\u201d \u2013 including many regions that have been beyond the reach of airborne instruments.<\/p>\n \nSurprising Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n