Japan Will Monitor Greenhouse Gases from Space

Japan will begin monitoring greenhouse gases around the world via satellite starting later this month. Officials hope that the data collected will help combat climate change, particularly as the satellite gathers info for developing countries that are not currently tracking their own emissions.

From Yahoo News:

The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), to be launched on January 21, will enable scientists to calculate the density of carbon dioxide and methane from 56,000 locations on the Earth’s surface, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.

The coverage compares with just 282 land-based observation sites as of last October, said Takashi Hamazaki, manager of the 35 billion yen ($372.9 million) JAXA project.

Equipped with two sensors, GOSAT will track infrared rays from the Earth, which will help calculate the densities of the two greenhouse gases, because they absorb the rays at certain wavelengths.

The satellite will also pick up any sign of clouds, enabling it to process data only when the sky is clear.

GOSAT, set to be in orbit for five years, will collect data once a month, with preliminary data from the satellite expected to be ready for researchers in April or May.

This new greenhouse gas tracking program is part of an attempt by Japan to meet its 2008-2012 target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more vocal in global talks about climate change. Japanese officials hope GOSAT’s data will will be reflected in a report by a UN panel of scientists due out in 2014.

It’s important to get an idea of the amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases being emitted by poor countries that aren’t currently paying much attention to such things, so this satellite project could be very big for the fight against global warming. It’s always encouraging to see more nations around the world dedicating themselves to taking this task seriously.

Link [Yahoo News]
Photo credit: NASA

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