Publié le 20 avril 2020
With increasing levels of greenhouse gases causing our climate to change, it is important to understand exactly where these gases come from and how they disperse in the atmosphere. A new dataset, produced by the European Space Agency’s Climate Change Initiative, provides a detailed view of carbon dioxide and methane – two of the most important human-made gases driving global warming.
Heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are at record levels. Last year, carbon dioxide and methane were 150% to 250% higher compared to ‘pre-industrial times’ according to the World Meteorological Organisation’s State of the Global Climate report.
Methane in Italy’s Po Valley
Given the importance of this ‘Essential Climate Variable,’ a new time-series of greenhouse gas data were generated by ESA’s Greenhouse Gases Climate Change Initiative. This was achieved by merging multiple data sets from an array of atmospheric satellites that measure greenhouse gases from space.