Scientists Can Now Hack Weather Satellites to Quantify Methane Leaks

For decades, scientists have come up with estimates of greenhouse gas emission through paper-based calculations of what’s pouring out of smokestacks and tailpipes, as well as based on the amount of energy consumed by end users.  Researchers also use data from satellites in low-Earth orbit to snap images of methane leaks as they circumnavigate the globe; unfortunately, these space objects typically zoom by at hypersonic speeds of ~17,000 miles per hour, meaning that scientists are only able to estimate emission rates.  Now, scientists…