NASA's Laser Instrument Will Measure Methane 24x7
@thebigk
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Oct 26, 2024
Oct 26, 2024
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NASA researcher Haris Riris is working on developing a new laser instrument to track global methane concentration round the clock. Riris and his colleagues from the Goddard Space Flight Center have collaborated with another Gobbard researcher, Jim Abshire who had developed the Carbon-Dioxide (CO2) Sounder Lidar (which stands for Light Detection and Ranging) that collects information about CO2 in the atmosphere. The team will use the same techniques and principles as used by the CO2 sounder deployed on a satellite.
The flight tests have been later this year and NASA is investing in the research. NASA hopes that if the laboratory tests are successful, the instrument can be included on a mission similar to ASCENDS (Active Sensing Of CO2 Emissions Over Nights, Days and Seasons). The official media release notes that CO2 has been recognized as an important greenhouse gas but methane is more potent. Scientists expect that the release of methane gas will contribute to accelerated global warming.
Image Credit: Emily Schaller (NASA)
Riris' laser instrument will keep track of methane concentrations globally, which the current satellites are not capable of. Riris and his team hopes that their methane sensor will be much more accurate and precise than MERLIN (Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission) because they've deployed a more sensitive detector and have adopted a multi-wavelength approach. The methane sounder will use its own light source to power tunable laser to look at the 1.65 micron band. Getting a 1.65 micron laser beam is one of the main challenges the team is working on at present.
More information about the project is available on the source link below.
Via: #-Link-Snipped-# | Source: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-scientist-advances-methane-sounder-to-measure-another-greenhouse-gas/#.VNl-EFOUdIY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NASA Scientist Advances Methane Sounder to Measure Another Greenhouse Gas | NASA</a>
The flight tests have been later this year and NASA is investing in the research. NASA hopes that if the laboratory tests are successful, the instrument can be included on a mission similar to ASCENDS (Active Sensing Of CO2 Emissions Over Nights, Days and Seasons). The official media release notes that CO2 has been recognized as an important greenhouse gas but methane is more potent. Scientists expect that the release of methane gas will contribute to accelerated global warming.
Image Credit: Emily Schaller (NASA)
Riris' laser instrument will keep track of methane concentrations globally, which the current satellites are not capable of. Riris and his team hopes that their methane sensor will be much more accurate and precise than MERLIN (Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission) because they've deployed a more sensitive detector and have adopted a multi-wavelength approach. The methane sounder will use its own light source to power tunable laser to look at the 1.65 micron band. Getting a 1.65 micron laser beam is one of the main challenges the team is working on at present.
More information about the project is available on the source link below.
Via: #-Link-Snipped-# | Source: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-scientist-advances-methane-sounder-to-measure-another-greenhouse-gas/#.VNl-EFOUdIY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NASA Scientist Advances Methane Sounder to Measure Another Greenhouse Gas | NASA</a>