Neither pipeline was transporting gas at the time of the blasts, but they still contained pressurized methane– the main part of natural gas. As the pressurized gas leaked through the damaged pipeline and traveled rapidly towards the sea surface area, the size of the gas bubbles increased as the pressure decreased. In action to the gas leakage, GHGSat, a leader in methane emissions keeping an eye on from space and likewise part of ESAs Third Party Mission Program, charged its satellites to measure the pipeline leakage with its constellation of high-resolution satellites. On September 30, the estimated emission rate derived from its first methane concentration measurement was 79,000 kg per hour– making it the largest methane leakage ever discovered by GHGSat from a single point source. Methane observations from the Sentinel-5P satellite can observe areas with enhanced methane concentrations from strong point sources all over the world.
Following uncommon seismic disruptions recently in the Baltic Sea, several leakages were found in the undersea Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, near Denmark and Sweden.
Following uncommon seismic disruptions in the Baltic Sea, a number of leakages were discovered recently in the underwater Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, near Denmark and Sweden. Neither pipeline was transporting gas at the time of the blasts, but they still included pressurized methane– the primary part of gas. This gushed out, producing a large stream of bubbles on the sea surface area.
With the unusual gas release posing a severe question about the incidents environmental effect, a suite of complementary Earth observation satellites carrying optical and radar imaging instruments were hired to characterize the gas leakage bubbling in the Baltic.
This high-resolution image, recorded by Pléiades Neo, reveals the Nord Stream gas pipeline leakage seen on September 29. Credit: Pléiades Neo
Although methane partially dissolves in water, launched later on as co2, it is not hazardous. Nevertheless, it is the 2nd most plentiful anthropogenic greenhouse gas in our environment triggering environment change.
As the pressurized gas dripped through the broken pipe and took a trip rapidly towards the sea surface area, the size of the gas bubbles increased as the pressure reduced. On reaching the surface area, the big gas bubbles interfered with the sea surface above the area of the pipeline rupture. The signature of the gas bubbling at the sea surface area can be seen from area in numerous ways.
On September 26, Planet satellites caught an image of the Nord Stream Gas pipeline rupture in the Baltic Sea, around 20 km southeast of Bornholm Island, Denmark. Credit: Planet Labs PBC
Owing to the consistent cloud cover over the area, image acquisitions from optical satellites showed very hard. High-resolution images captured by Pléiades Neo and Planet, both part of ESAs Third Party Mission Program, revealed the disturbance varying from 500 to 700 m (1600 to 2300 feet) across the sea surface.
Numerous days later, as the pipelines gas cleared, a substantial reduction in the estimated diameter of the methane disruption was seen. Images captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2 and United States Landsat 8 objective validated this.
As disruptions such as these cause a roughing up of the sea surface, this increases the backscatter observed by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments, which are extremely sensitive to changes in the sea surface area at such a scale. These include instruments onboard the Copernicus Sentinel-1 and ICEYE constellation– the very first New Space company to sign up with the Copernicus Contributing Missions fleet.
This radar image was caught on September 28 by ICEYE– the first New Space company to sign up with the Copernicus Contributing Missions fleet. Credit: ICEYE 2022
ESAs Scientist for Ocean and Ice, Craig Donlon, said, “The power of active microwave radar instruments is that they can keep an eye on the ocean surface signatures of bubbling methane through clouds over a large swath and at a high spatial resolution getting rid of one of the significant constraints to optical instruments. This permits a more total photo of the disaster and its associated event-timing to be developed.”
Among the ruptures occurred southeast of the Danish Island of Bornholm. Images from Sentinel-1 on September 24 revealed no disruption to the water. Nevertheless, an ICEYE satellite passing over the area on the night of September 28 got an image showing a disturbance to the sea surface area above the rupture.
What about the methane released?
Although optical satellites can offer us with the radius of the methane bubbling over water, they offer little details on how much methane has actually been released into the atmosphere.
Keeping an eye on methane over water is exceptionally tough as water takes in many of the sunlight in the shortwave infrared wavelengths that are used for methane remote noticing. This limits the amount of light reaching the sensing unit, hence making it incredibly challenging to determine methane concentrations over the sea at high latitudes.
In action to the gas leakage, GHGSat, a leader in methane emissions monitoring from space and also part of ESAs Third Party Mission Program, charged its satellites to determine the pipeline leakage with its constellation of high-resolution satellites. By entrusting its satellites to obtain measurements at larger viewing angles, GHGSat was able to target the area where the suns light showed the strongest off the sea surface– understood as the glint spot. On September 30, the approximated emission rate derived from its first methane concentration measurement was 79,000 kg per hour– making it the biggest methane leak ever discovered by GHGSat from a single point source. This rate is incredibly high, especially considering it was four days following the preliminary breach, and this is only one of 4 rupture points in the pipeline. Credit: GHGSat
GHGSat, a leader in methane emissions monitoring from space and likewise part of ESAs Third Party Mission Program, tasked its satellites to determine the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline leakage with its constellation of high-resolution (around 25 m) satellites. By entrusting its satellites to acquire measurements at larger seeing angles, GHGSat had the ability to target the location where the suns light showed the strongest off the sea surface area– referred to as the glint area.
On September 30, the approximated emission rate obtained from its first methane concentration measurement was 79,000 kg (174,000 pounds) per hour– making it the biggest methane leak ever spotted by GHGSat from a single point source. This rate is exceptionally high, particularly considering it was four days following the initial breach, and this is only one of four rupture points in the pipeline.
GHGSat Director for Europe, Adina Gillespie, said, “Predictably, the media and the world have turned to space to understand the scale of the Nord Stream commercial catastrophe. While we await further investigation on the cause, GHGSat responded quickly, determining 79,000 kg per hour of methane originating from the leakages. We will continue tasking GHGSat satellites for the Nord Stream sites until we no longer find emissions.”
Claus Zehner, Copernicus Sentinel-5P, Altius and Flex Missions Manager, mentions: “Besides GHGSat, the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite offered methane concentration measurements given off by this pipeline leak which highlights the expediency to use both public financed and commercial satellites in a synergistic way.”
The animation shows the gas leak as captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 objective on September 30, 2022, compared to the acquisition on October 3 where no gas leakage shows up. Credit: Contains customized Copernicus Sentinel information (2022 ), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Ecological effect
Although closed at the time, the 2 Nord Stream stems consisted of enough gas to launch 300,000 tonnes of methane– more than twice the amount released by the Aliso Canyon leakage in California over a number of months in 2015-16.
As large as it might be, the Nord Stream release pales in comparison with the 80 million tonnes released each year by the oil and gas market. The latest release is approximately comparable to one and a half days of international methane emissions.
This map reveals the pair of Nord Stream natural gas pipelines that runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. It consists of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline running from Vyborg in northwest Russia, near Finland, and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline running from Ust-Luga in northwest Russia near Estonia. Red stars in the image portray the observed leakages as spotted by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.
Methane observations from the Sentinel-5P satellite can observe regions with improved methane concentrations from strength sources all over the world. Satellite observations are an effective tool for enhancing quotes of emission strength, with their capability to track how they alter over time. They are likewise extremely beneficial in detecting formerly unidentified emission sources.
Looking ahead, the upcoming atmospheric Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring objective (CO2M) will bring a near-infrared spectrometer to determine climatic co2, but also methane, at a good spatial resolution. This objective will offer the EU with a special and independent source of info to assess the efficiency of policy procedures, and to track their influence on decarbonizing Europe and conference national emission reduction targets.
Yasjka Meijer, ESAs Scientist for Copernicus Atmospheric Missions, commented, “The CO2M Mission will provide global coverage and has an unique mode above water to increase observed brilliances by looking towards the sunglint area, however it will be similarly limited by clouds.”