Global warming and associated climatic changes seem to be a daunting challenge for environmentalists, scientists as well as climate change enthusiasts. Among the different sources that add up to “greenhouse effects” METHANE plays a significant role. Methane is more capable of trapping heat compared to carbon dioxide which is also a greenhouse gas. In addition, this trace gas has numerous sources which include emission from anaerobic decomposition in natural wetlands, emission from livestock production systems, biomass burning etc. Here lies the underlying necessity for tracking methane sources and thereby to take appropriate measurements to reduce methane emission. NASA’s new 3-dimensional portrait of methane serves this purpose, to create its global picture. The model combines multiple data sets from emissions inventories and simulation of wetlands into a high-resolution computer model. Moreover, this data visualization method helps in tracking methane sources as well as its trajectory and its behaviour in the atmosphere over time.
The urgency to turn down greenhouse gases is at its peak and indeed “Methane Tracker” has a major role to partake.
– Serin Mary Binoy
Image Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio
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