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Satellites detected high levels of methane emissions and pinpointed their location to a cattle feedlot in California. Environmental data company GHGSat, which has three high-resolution satellites in orbit, estimated that the belching cows would produce over 5,000 tonnes of methane emissions over the course of the year. That is enough methane to power more than 15,000 homes.
GHGSat said it is the first time they have been able to detect and locate methane emissions coming from an agricultural feedlot. Most of the methane emissions the company monitors are emitted from landfills and open-pit coal mines.
The company provides its data to the United Nations and other governments to help them reduce their methane emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
GHGSat said that the ability to detect methane emissions from feedlots will give countries the necessary data to set reduction targets for the agriculture industry. It will also help farmers test out new strategies, such as feeding cows seaweed, to reduce the amount of methane they release when they burp.
"This is really pushing the envelope of our capabilities," Brody Wight, the company's sales director, told CNN. "What's unique about us is we can really kind of get to the source."