In this conversation, Tia Scarpelli discusses her journey in climate research, focusing on methane emissions from landfills and the complexities of solid waste management. She highlights the importance of understanding methane generation, the role of remote sensing in emission detection, and the challenges of measuring emissions accurately. The discussion also covers mitigation strategies for landfills and the need for effective stakeholder engagement to drive action towards reducing methane emissions.

Keywords

climate change, methane emissions, landfills, remote sensing, environmental engineering, solid waste management, greenhouse gases, emission detection, waste reduction, sustainability

Chapters

03:30 The Importance of Landfills and Methane Emissions

12:09 Understanding Landfill Composition and Methane Generation

20:15 Modeling Methane Emissions from Landfills

25:30 Research and Measurement Challenges in Landfill Emissions

26:57 Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions

31:14 The Role of Remote Sensing in Emission Detection

35:24 Confidence in Remote Measurements

39:58 Mitigation Strategies for Landfills

46:56 CarbonMapper's Goals and Stakeholder Engagement

In this conversation, Sean Crowell interviews Aitor Morinigo, CEO of Satlantis, about the company's innovative approach to remote sensing and methane detection. Aitor shares his background in mechanical engineering and his journey from working in large corporations to leading a startup focused on satellite technology. The discussion covers the evolution of Satlantis, its partnerships with companies like Encino Environmental Services, and the importance of understanding customer needs in the oil and gas industry. Aitor also highlights the challenges of methane detection and the innovative technologies being developed to address these issues, like polarization sensitivity and higher spatial resolution in their next generation of sensors.

Keywords

Satlantis, remote sensing, methane detection, satellite technology, environmental monitoring, space industry, EO

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Aitor Morinigo and Sattlantis

02:10 Aitor's Journey into Remote Sensing and Engineering

04:41 Transition from Traditional to New Space

07:01 The Importance of Business Acumen in Engineering

08:29 Overview of Sattlantis and Its Mission

10:13 Sattlantis' Shift to Data Solutions

12:58 Partnership with Encino and Industry Insights

15:21 Innovative Technology for Pipeline Monitoring

17:57 Multispectral Imaging and Its Advantages

20:10 Combining Technologies for Enhanced Detection

22:36 Business Model and Customer Engagement

25:09 Future Developments and Innovations at Sattlantis

In this episode, Sean leads us on a journey through the history of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions and the scientists whose work has utilized the data to find key insights about the natural and human-influenced carbon cycle.

This episode is being released due to the status of these missions being "on the chopping block" in the proposed NASA budget for 2026 by the Trump administration.

Keywords

carbon dioxide, climate change, Orbiting Carbon Observatory, NASA, greenhouse gases, carbon cycle, emissions measurement, Earth science, environmental monitoring, climate policy

How do you detect methane leaks from space? And once you do - what comes next?
In this episode, Dr. Ilse Aben shares the story of TROPOMI, the Dutch-led satellite instrument that scans the Earth daily for greenhouse gases. We explore how column measurements are turned into emissions, the power of'tip-and-cue' collaboration with commercial satellites, and how UN-backed systems are turning satellite data into climate action on the ground.

• SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research: https://www.sron.nl/

• TROPOMI: https://www.tropomi.eu/

• IMEO MARS Program: https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/climate-action/what-we-do/imeo

• GHGSat: https://www.ghgsat.com/

• Global Methane Hub: https://www.globalmethanehub.org/

Episode Outline01:00–04:00 | Scientific Background04:00–09:15 | From SCIAMACHY to TROPOMI09:15–16:00 | How Satellites Measure Methane16:00–20:00 | Methane Sources Explained20:00–25:00 | Diffuse vs. Point Sources25:00–30:00 | Super Emitters and the Tip-and-Cue Model30:00–35:00 | IMEO & Global Mitigation via Satellites35:00–39:00 | Waste Emissions and Monitoring in the Global South39:00–43:00 | What’s Next in Satellite Methane Monitoring43:00–End | Final ReflectionsKeywords

greenhouse gases, carbon sense, international cooperation, physics, spectroscopy, TROPOMI, satellite measurements

Summary

This conversation delves into the insights from the EO Summit, focusing on greenhouse gas monitoring and pipeline methane emissions. It highlights the advancements in Earth observation technology, the importance of data integration, and the challenges faced in monitoring emissions effectively. The discussion emphasizes the need for trust in data, the role of incentives in emissions reduction, and the collaborative efforts required to address these environmental challenges.

Chapters

00:00 Overview of the Earth Observation Summit

01:36 Insights on Greenhouse Gas Monitoring

05:52 Challenges in Pipeline Surveillance and Methane Emissions

08:21 The Role of Incentives in Emission Reduction

11:43 Exploring Carbon Footprint and Its Impact

Keywords

TerraWatch Space, EO data, greenhouse gas monitoring, methane emissions, pipeline surveillance, Earth observation, environmental science, data integration, climate change, emissions reduction

In this conversation, Dr. Heather Couture discusses her work with Climate TRACE, focusing on the use of AI and satellite data to estimate CO2 emissions from power plants. She explains the importance of granular data for individual power plants, the challenges of estimating emissions accurately, and the need for collaboration in improving emission monitoring techniques. The discussion covers various aspects of machine learning, satellite technology, and the complexities of emissions data.

Keywords

Climate TRACE, AI, CO2 emissions, power plants, satellite data, machine learning, greenhouse gases, emissions monitoring, environmental science, energy production

In this conversation, Sean Crowell and Aaron Davitt of WattTime discuss the intersection of climate data, remote sensing, and emission tracking. Aaron introduces the Climate Trace Coalition, which was founded by Watt Time and former US Vice President Al Gore to create comprehensive greenhouse gas emission inventories. Unlike the previous discussions of GHG remote sensing, this discussion highlights the use of different sets of satellite imagery (visible, thermal, SAR, etc) to locate sources for monitoring emissions across various sectors, the importance of data accessibility, and the collaborative efforts needed to improve emission estimates and mitigation strategies.

This is Part 1 of a series on Climate TRACE.

Key Topics:

04:24 Aaron Davitt's Journey in Climate Science

06:50 Understanding Watt Time and Its Role

08:54 Overview of Climate Trace Coalition

11:17 Utilizing Satellite Data for Emission Estimates

13:43 Sector-Specific Emission Monitoring

15:40 Innovative Approaches in Emission Estimation

18:24 Collaboration and Open Data in Climate Trace

20:36 Future Directions for Climate Trace

Keywords: climate data, remote sensing, greenhouse gas emissions, satellite technology, Wattime, Climate Trace, emission inventory, environmental technology, data accessibility, collaboration, RMI

In this conversation, Aravind Ravichandran of TerraWatch, an industry insider for Earth Observation (EO), discusses the economic and public aspects of the industry, including challenges and opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of both government and commercial sectors in EO, the investment trends in satellite technologies, and the need for better data platforms and applications. The discussion also touches on the future of carbon monitoring and emission data, highlighting the significance of standards and collaboration in the field. Finally, Aravind introduces the EO Summit, aimed at bridging the gap between end users and technology providers.

EO Summit: http://www.eosummit.com

TerraWatch Space: http://www.terrawatchspace.com

Keywords

Earth Observation, Remote Sensing, Satellite Data, Environmental Impact, Commercial Sector, Government Role, Investment Trends, Carbon Monitoring, EO Summit, Data Platforms

Chapters

00:00 Aravind's Journey into Earth Observation & TerraWatch

08:04 Understanding Earth Observation

16:21 Public Good vs. Commercial Data

20:31 Investment Trends in Earth Observation

27:57 Understanding Platforms vs. Applications in Remote Sensing

37:55 The Future of Carbon Monitoring and Business Models

50:39 Introducing the EO Summit: A Collaborative Forum for Earth Observation

55:51 Introduction to Carbon Sense Podcast

55:52 Exploring Carbon Footprint and Its Impact