Limits of space-based remote sensing for methane source characterization

This analysis examines the ability of a space-based instrument to identify and quantify methane sources in the presence of temperature, humidity, and albedo uncertainty. Thus, the objective is to quantify in the context of the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) the synergistic benefit of simultaneous observation of the Earth´s surface with atmospheric attributes. The analysis is illustrative of the type of examination that should inform remote sensing policy and system configuration decisions. The retrieval technique considered is linear inversion of near-IR spectral signals. The anticipated range of methane mixing ratio enhancement due to sources at the Earth´s surface is compared to the detection limit of the space-based instrument