Quantification of Hotspot Methane Emissions Using Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Observations
This report investigates the ability to determine methane (CH₄) emission rates at facility level using satellite data provided by the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) (Veefkind et al., 2012) on board the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite. Instantaneous plume observations from single satellite images are combined with data-driven inverse modeling to quantify methane emissions from sources such as landfills, oil and gas exploitation, and coal mines.
Three-point source quantification approaches—Gaussian Plume Inversion (GPI), Integrated Mass Enhancements (IME), and Cross-Sectional Flux (CSF)— were implemented using effective wind speeds as driving variables, derived from the Reanalysis v5 (ERA5) data provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). These inversion methods are tested for reliability on specific point sources located in Libya, Russia, Morocco, and Spain. CH₄ flux estimates based on these methods are compared with data available in the scientific literature and data provided by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) for the same point sources investigated in this report.
Results presented in this report are the initial step towards developing an in-house methodology to estimate methane emissions from hot spots, aiming to provide independent data in support of the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) and the EU’s Methane Strategy.
GRAZIOSI Francesco;
MANCA Giovanni;
2025-11-24
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC140914
978-92-68-32685-5 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40493,
OP KJ-01-25-523-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC140914,
10.2760/4473858 (online),
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