Scientists have used satellites to detect a methane leak over the UK for the first time.
Images from satellite company GHGSat show plumes of greenhouse gas coming from an oil pipeline just north of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Methane is the main component of natural gas and heats our homes, but it also contributes powerfully to the greenhouse effect.
Experts say enough methane was released during the leak earlier this year to power 7,500 homes for a year, described as a major loss.
The cause of the leak is unclear, but experts believe aging infrastructure is to blame rather than sabotage, as is believed to be the case with the Nord Stream leak last year.
Satellite company GHGSat detected the leak from space. Pictured is the methane trail over land just north of Cheltenham with Bishops Cleeve to the east. Colors indicate the concentration of methane in the air (blue = lower concentrations, yellow/red = higher concentrations)
This new methane leak was discovered in March by researchers at the University of Leeds, but was not disclosed. BBC until now.
According to experts, it is the first time that a methane leak has been detected from space, instead of being detected from the ground.
“The UK is not known to have significant methane leaks on a global scale,” PhD student Emily Dowd from the university’s School of Earth and Environment told MailOnline.
“But satellite data shows that we may have to search harder to find hitherto unknown leaks.”
Methane is the main component of natural gas, which is used as a fuel source around the world, for things like heating homes and cooking food.
But it is also a potent greenhouse gas, meaning it exacerbates the effects of global warming and climate change if released into the atmosphere.
Dowd said it’s natural gas coming from the tube, 85 to 90 percent of which is methane, and the rest is primarily nitrogen and ethane.
‘Methane is a major greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential 28 times greater than CO2. [carbon dioxide]” he told MailOnline.
As the main component of natural gas, methane is used as a fuel source by people around the world, for things like generating electricity, powering industries, heating homes and cooking food (file photo)
The gas pipeline in question is located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, but is owned by the gas company Wales and West Utilities (in this file photo)
“At all points in the extraction, transportation and storage processes there are natural gas leaks that contribute significantly to our greenhouse gas emissions.”
The gas pipeline in question is owned by gas company Wales and West Utilities, which became aware of the leak after a member of the public reported the smell of gas.
Shortly after, GHGSat detected the leak from space using its satellite constellation, which relies on a form of spectroscopy to measure the absorption of infrared light by methane molecules.
Images shared by the company to MailOnline show the gas plume above ground just north of Cheltenham, with the large village of Bishops Cleeve to the east.
During the methane leak, GHGSat satellites recorded a maximum emission rate of 1,400 kg per hour, which a spokesperson described as “not insignificant.”
However, the Nord Stream leak in the Baltic Sea that made headlines last year was of a different order of magnitude: 79,000 kg per hour.
A recent study found that the Nord Stream leak had a negligible effect on global warming, so it is to be expected that the emissions from the Cheltenham leak alone will not be enough either.
But scientists believe any emissions of this powerful gas must be avoided if the planet is to avoid the serious effects of global warming, including droughts, wildfires and rising sea levels.
“The Cheltenham gas leak will not have an impact on global warming, but the cumulative effect of gas leaks does have an impact on global warming, so it is important to monitor them,” Dowd told MailOnline.
The cause of the Cheltenham escape is unconfirmed, but it is not believed to be sabotage.
Artist’s rendering of the GHGSat satellite constellation, which relies on a form of spectroscopy to measure the absorption of infrared light by methane molecules.
“It’s probably because it’s an old metal pipe – Wales and West Utilities are currently upgrading their pipes,” he said.
Optical gas imaging cameras are commonly used on land to image leaked gases, including methane and many other organic gases.
But the use of satellites makes it possible to detect these leaks and their location more quickly, which could stop the flow of gas sooner.
“Nearly half of methane emissions come from man-made sources, due to its short life in our atmosphere – about nine years compared to CO2,” Dowd said.
“It means that any action we take to reduce our methane emissions will have a faster impact and ultimately reduce the human impact on climate change.”
