Articles | Volume 25, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-797-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-797-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 21 Jan 2025
| 21 Jan 2025
Satellite quantification of methane emissions from South American countries: a high-resolution inversion of TROPOMI and GOSAT observations
Sarah E. Hancock
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Daniel J. Jacob
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Zichong Chen
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Hannah Nesser
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91011, USA
Aaron Davitt
WattTime, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
Climate TRACE, Denver, CO 80022, USA
Daniel J. Varon
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Melissa P. Sulprizio
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Nicholas Balasus
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Lucas A. Estrada
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
María Cazorla
Instituto de Investigaciones Atmosféricas, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, 170157, Ecuador
Laura Dawidowski
Gerencia Química, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, San Martin, B1650KNA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sebastián Diez
Centro de Investigación en Tecnologías para la Sociedad, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, 7550000, Chile
James D. East
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Elise Penn
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Cynthia A. Randles
United Nations Environment Program International Methane Emissions Observatory, Paris, France
now at: Scepter, Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
John Worden
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91011, USA
Ilse Aben
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
Robert J. Parker
National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Earth Observation Science, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Joannes D. Maasakkers
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Cited
18 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Worldwide inference of national methane emissions by inversion of satellite observations with UNFCCC prior estimates J. East et al.
- Quantifying urban and landfill methane emissions in the United States using TROPOMI satellite data X. Wang et al.
- Estimating Methane Emissions by Integrating Satellite Regional Emissions Mapping and Point-Source Observations: Case Study in the Permian Basin M. Gao & Z. Xing
- Identification of Sources of Methane in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam C. Woolley Maisch et al.
- How can we trust TROPOMI based methane emissions estimation: calculating emissions over unidentified source regions B. Zheng et al.
- Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) 2.0: an improved research and stakeholder tool for monitoring total methane emissions with high resolution worldwide using TROPOMI satellite observations L. Estrada et al.
- Monitoring Persistent Methane Emissions from the Secunda CTL Synthetic Fuel Plant Using Satellite Observations H. Virta et al.
- A Bayesian inversion of TROPOMI methane observations over South Africa: Implications for bottom-up inventories K. Maliehe et al.
- Spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric XCH4 in China based on multiple spatially continuous satellite-derived products Y. Liu et al.
- 2019–2024 trends in African livestock and wetland emissions as contributors to the global methane rise N. Balasus et al.
- Carbon Footprint of Global Construction Industries: A Cross-Country Analysis of Emissions, Drivers, and the Construction Carbon Sustainability Index (1990–2023) I. Mosly
- Trends and seasonality of 2019–2023 global methane emissions inferred from a localized ensemble transform Kalman filter (CHEEREIO v1.3.1) applied to TROPOMI satellite observations D. Pendergrass et al.
- Seasonality and Declining Intensity of Methane Emissions from the Permian and Nearby US Oil and Gas Basins D. Varon et al.
- New measurements indicate that natural geologic methane emissions from microseepage in the Michigan Basin are likely negligible K. Hall et al.
- State of the Art in Monitoring Methane Emissions from Arctic–boreal Wetlands and Lakes M. Mahdianpari et al.
- Attributing 2019–2024 methane growth using TROPOMI satellite observations M. He et al.
- Recent advances in TROPOMI-based methane source detection: a systematic review R. Liu et al.
- Predicting and correcting the influence of boundary conditions in regional inverse analyses H. Nesser et al.
18 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Worldwide inference of national methane emissions by inversion of satellite observations with UNFCCC prior estimates J. East et al.
- Quantifying urban and landfill methane emissions in the United States using TROPOMI satellite data X. Wang et al.
- Estimating Methane Emissions by Integrating Satellite Regional Emissions Mapping and Point-Source Observations: Case Study in the Permian Basin M. Gao & Z. Xing
- Identification of Sources of Methane in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam C. Woolley Maisch et al.
- How can we trust TROPOMI based methane emissions estimation: calculating emissions over unidentified source regions B. Zheng et al.
- Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) 2.0: an improved research and stakeholder tool for monitoring total methane emissions with high resolution worldwide using TROPOMI satellite observations L. Estrada et al.
- Monitoring Persistent Methane Emissions from the Secunda CTL Synthetic Fuel Plant Using Satellite Observations H. Virta et al.
- A Bayesian inversion of TROPOMI methane observations over South Africa: Implications for bottom-up inventories K. Maliehe et al.
- Spatiotemporal variations of atmospheric XCH4 in China based on multiple spatially continuous satellite-derived products Y. Liu et al.
- 2019–2024 trends in African livestock and wetland emissions as contributors to the global methane rise N. Balasus et al.
- Carbon Footprint of Global Construction Industries: A Cross-Country Analysis of Emissions, Drivers, and the Construction Carbon Sustainability Index (1990–2023) I. Mosly
- Trends and seasonality of 2019–2023 global methane emissions inferred from a localized ensemble transform Kalman filter (CHEEREIO v1.3.1) applied to TROPOMI satellite observations D. Pendergrass et al.
- Seasonality and Declining Intensity of Methane Emissions from the Permian and Nearby US Oil and Gas Basins D. Varon et al.
- New measurements indicate that natural geologic methane emissions from microseepage in the Michigan Basin are likely negligible K. Hall et al.
- State of the Art in Monitoring Methane Emissions from Arctic–boreal Wetlands and Lakes M. Mahdianpari et al.
- Attributing 2019–2024 methane growth using TROPOMI satellite observations M. He et al.
- Recent advances in TROPOMI-based methane source detection: a systematic review R. Liu et al.
- Predicting and correcting the influence of boundary conditions in regional inverse analyses H. Nesser et al.
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 16 May 2026
Short summary
We quantify 2021 methane emissions in South America at up to 25 km × 25 km resolution using satellite methane observations. We find a 55 % upward adjustment to anthropogenic emission inventories, including those reported to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change under the Paris Agreement. Our estimates match inventories for Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay but are much higher for other countries. Livestock emissions (65 % of anthropogenic emissions) show the largest discrepancies.
We quantify 2021 methane emissions in South America at up to 25 km × 25 km resolution using...
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