Despite its seemingly low concentration in the atmosphere of less than 0.0002%, methane (CH4) is the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas, due to its high global warming potential. Over a period of a hundred years, methane is about thirty times more powerful than CO2.
The 2021 IPCC report indicates a 0.28oC contribution to the total global warming of 1.1°C since pre-industrial times. Together with other Dutch partners, SRON has developed key technology for the TROPOMI instrument on the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor mission. SRON is responsible for the CH4 data product and uses this data to estimate methane emissions worldwide. We specifically target super-emitters, for example some landfills or fossil fuel facilities. These have the potential to be the low-hanging fruit in efforts to mitigate global warming. SRON also develops the targeted TANGO mission to observe localized methane emission sources, together with our Dutch partners: ISIS Space, TNO, and KNMI.
