Articles | Volume 25, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-797-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-797-2025
Research article
 | 
21 Jan 2025
Research article |  | 21 Jan 2025

Satellite quantification of methane emissions from South American countries: a high-resolution inversion of TROPOMI and GOSAT observations

Sarah E. Hancock, Daniel J. Jacob, Zichong Chen, Hannah Nesser, Aaron Davitt, Daniel J. Varon, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Nicholas Balasus, Lucas A. Estrada, María Cazorla, Laura Dawidowski, Sebastián Diez, James D. East, Elise Penn, Cynthia A. Randles, John Worden, Ilse Aben, Robert J. Parker, and Joannes D. Maasakkers

Related authors

Using new geospatial data and 2020 fossil fuel methane emissions for the Global Fuel Exploitation Inventory (GFEI) v3
Tia R. Scarpelli, Elfie Roy, Daniel J. Jacob, Melissa P. Sulprizio, Ryan D. Tate, and Daniel H. Cusworth
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-552,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-552, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Tropical Ozone Trends (1998 to 2023): A Synthesis from SHADOZ, IAGOS and OMI/MLS Observations
Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Debra E. Kollonige, Jerald R. Ziemke, Maria Cazorla, Pawel Wolff, and Bastien Sauvage
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3761,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3761, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Comparing space-based to reported carbon monoxide emission estimates for Europe's iron and steel plants
Gijs Leguijt, Joannes D. Maasakkers, Hugo A. C. Denier van der Gon, Arjo J. Segers, Tobias Borsdorff, Ivar R. van der Velde, and Ilse Aben
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 555–574, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-555-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-555-2025, 2025
Short summary
Comparative ozone production sensitivity to NOx and VOCs in Quito, Ecuador and Santiago, Chile: implications for control strategies in times of climate action
María Cazorla, Melissa Trujillo, Rodrigo Seguel, and Laura Gallardo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3720,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3720, 2024
Short summary
Air quality trends and regimes in South Korea inferred from 2015–2023 surface and satellite observations
Yujin J. Oak, Daniel J. Jacob, Drew C. Pendergrass, Ruijun Dang, Nadia K. Colombi, Heesung Chong, Seoyoung Lee, Su Keun Kuk, and Jhoon Kim
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3485,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3485, 2024
Short summary

Related subject area

Subject: Climate and Earth System | Research Activity: Atmospheric Modelling and Data Analysis | Altitude Range: Troposphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Contrasting the roles of regional anthropogenic aerosols from the western and eastern hemispheres in driving the 1980–2020 Pacific multi-decadal variations
Chenrui Diao, Yangyang Xu, Aixue Hu, and Zhili Wang
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2167–2180, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2167-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2167-2025, 2025
Short summary
A new method for diagnosing effective radiative forcing from aerosol–cloud interactions in climate models
Brandon M. Duran, Casey J. Wall, Nicholas J. Lutsko, Takuro Michibata, Po-Lun Ma, Yi Qin, Margaret L. Duffy, Brian Medeiros, and Matvey Debolskiy
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 2123–2146, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2123-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2123-2025, 2025
Short summary
Climate variability can outweigh the influence of climate mean changes for extreme precipitation under global warming
Kalle Nordling, Nora L. S. Fahrenbach, and Bjørn H. Samset
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1659–1684, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1659-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1659-2025, 2025
Short summary
Using a region-specific ice-nucleating particle parameterization improves the representation of Arctic clouds in a global climate model
Astrid B. Gjelsvik, Robert O. David, Tim Carlsen, Franziska Hellmuth, Stefan Hofer, Zachary McGraw, Harald Sodemann, and Trude Storelvmo
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1617–1637, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1617-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1617-2025, 2025
Short summary
Small emission sources in aggregate disproportionately account for a large majority of total methane emissions from the US oil and gas sector
James P. Williams, Mark Omara, Anthony Himmelberger, Daniel Zavala-Araiza, Katlyn MacKay, Joshua Benmergui, Maryann Sargent, Steven C. Wofsy, Steven P. Hamburg, and Ritesh Gautam
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 1513–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1513-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-1513-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Balasus, N., Jacob, D. J., Lorente, A., Maasakkers, J. D., Parker, R. J., Boesch, H., Chen, Z., Kelp, M. M., Nesser, H., and Varon, D. J.: A blended TROPOMI + GOSAT satellite data product for atmospheric methane using machine learning to correct retrieval biases, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 3787–3807, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-3787-2023, 2023 (available at https://registry.opendata.aws/blended-tropomi-gosat-methane, last access: 1 January 2024). 
Bannink, A., van Schijndel, M. W., and Dijkstra, J.: A model of enteric fermentation in dairy cows to estimate methane emission for the Dutch National Inventory Report using the IPCC Tier 3 approach, Anim. Feed Sci. Tech., 166–167, 603–618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2011.04.043, 2011. 
Basso, L. S., Marani, L., Gatti, L. V., Miller, J. B., Gloor, M., Melack, J., Cassol, H. L. G., Tejada, G., Domingues, L. G., Arai, E., Sanchez, A. H., Corrêa, S. M., Anderson, L., Aragão, L. E. O. C., Correia, C. S. C., Crispim, S. P., and Neves, R. A. L.: Amazon methane budget derived from multi-year airborne observations highlights regional variations in emissions, Commun. Earth Environ., 2, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00314-4, 2021. 
Bastviken, D., Santoro, A. L., Marotta, H., Pinho, L. Q., Calheiros, D. F., Crill, P., and Enrich-Prast, A.: Methane Emissions from Pantanal, South America, during the Low Water Season: Toward More Comprehensive Sampling, Environ. Sci. Technol., 44, 5450–5455, https://doi.org/10.1021/es1005048, 2010. 
Benaouda, M., González-Ronquillo, M., Appuhamy, J. A. D. R. N., Kebreab, E., Molina, L. T., Herrera-Camacho, J., Ku-Vera, J. C., Ángeles-Hernández, J. C., and Castelán-Ortega, O. A.: Development of mathematical models to predict enteric methane emission by cattle in Latin America, Livestock Science, 241, 104177, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2020.104177, 2020. 
Download
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.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint