Excerpt from eaglecurrent.com
NASA is joining in an effort to have an understanding of the presence
of a methane hotspot over the 4 corners area of the United States. How
severe is the atmospheric feature?
A
methane hotspot hovering over the Four Corners region in the
southwestern United States has offered a mystery to scientists due to
the fact it was initial seen from space by a satellite managed by the
European Space Agency.
The New Mexico Environment Department is
among the groups searching into the unusual atmospheric function. The
group is sponsoring a forum on April 17 to go over probable
environmental ramifications of acquiring fossil fuels by way of the
controversial practice of fracking.
“As the science emerges around
detection of elevated methane levels in the area, NMED is maintaining a
close eye on the data and associated concerns. There is a lot of
interest in methane, and this occasion will be a fantastic chance for
all of us to listen, discover and ask inquiries,” Richard Goodyear of
the New Mexico Atmosphere Division stated.
A group of scientists
is gathered at 4 Corners, where New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah
all meet. They are examining the air and ground in an effort to have an
understanding of exactly where the methane in the area is emanating from
and what dangers it could pose.
“With all the ground-based and
airborne resources that the diverse groups are bringing to the region,
we have the one of a kind opportunity to unequivocally solve the Four
Corners mystery,” mentioned Christian Frankenberg of NASA’s Jet
Propulsion Laboratory.
A study published in October 2014 reported
methane levels in the Four Corners region as higher than at any other
place in the globe. That hotspot of greenhouse gases persisted from at
least 2003 to 2009, according to researchers studying the anomaly.
Officials
at NASA believe the higher concentrations of methane in the location
could be due to methane extraction in the area, largely carried out by
fracking. This process entails pumping water, sand and chemicals into
otherwise dry wells at high velocities to shatter rock layers, releasing
natural gas, mainly composed of methane. Studies have recommended that
vast amounts of the greenhouse gas can be released in the course of
fracking operations.
Other possibilities for the gas release in
the 4 Corners region include things like active coal mines and natural
gas seeps. The amount of the environmentally damaging gas seen in the
southwestern United States is roughly equivalent to ten percent of all
methane released across the nation.
A pair of Twin Otter aircraft,
operated by JPL, will soon fly over the region in an effort to much
better comprehend how the methane hotspot formed. These airplanes will
be equipped with two instruments & the Next-Generation Airborne
Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRISNG) that will very
carefully measure the extent of the gas, and the Hyperspectral Thermal
Emission Spectrometer (HYTES), designed to recognize sources.
After
the trigger of the gas emissions and the extent of the formation is
understood, climatologists will be greater in a position to manage
release of the greenhouse gas.
Source Article from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AscensionEarth2012/~3/Qn84vFQUetg/mystery-methane-hotspot-over-four.html
Mystery Methane Hotspot Over Four Corners -- What Is It?
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