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Machine Learning for Methane Detection and Quantification From Space: A survey

delete2025-09-25
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OA
AI
E
Enno Tiemann
S
Shanyu Zhou
A
Alexander Kläser
K
Konrad Heidler
R
Rochelle Schneider
X
Xiao Xiang Zhu
DOI:10.1109/MGRS.2025.3599559delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Methane (CH4) is a potent anthropogenic greenhouse gas, contributing 86 times more to global warming than carbon dioxide (CO2) over 20 years, and it also acts as an air pollutant. Given its high radiative forcing potential and relatively short atmospheric lifetime (nine years plus or minus one), CH4 has important implications for climate change; therefore, cutting CH4 emissions is crucial for effective climate change mitigation. This article provides an exhaustive list of operational CH4 point source detection sensors in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands. It reviews the state of the art for traditional as well as machine learning (ML) approaches. The architecture and data used in such ML models are discussed separately for CH4 plume segmentation and emission rate estimation. Traditionally, experts rely on labor-intensive manually adjusted methods for CH4 detection. However, ML approaches offer greater scalability. Our analysis reveals that ML models outperform traditional methods, particularly those based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), especially the U-Net and transformer architectures, if enough representative training data are available. These ML models extract valuable information from CH4-sensitive spectral data, enabling more accurate detection. Challenges arise when comparing these methods due to variations in data, sensor specifications, and evaluation metrics. To address this, we discuss existing datasets and metrics, providing an overview of available resources and identifying open research problems. Finally, we explore potential future advances in ML, emphasizing approaches for model comparability and large dataset creation, address issues with ML, and provide trends, future research directions, and the European Union’s forthcoming CH4 strategy.
Keywords:
Climate change
Methane
Greenhouse gases
Global warming
Machine learning
Data models
Carbon dioxide
Data models
Convolutional neural networks
Training data
Prevention and mitigation
Maximum likelihood detection
Atmospheric measurements
Infrared spectra

Journal

IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine cover
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine
IF:
16.4
Papers:
1.0W
Citations:
5.1K

Organization

O
ohb digital connect
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1
Papers: 1
Citations: 0
U
universitat politecnica de valencia
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1.1K
Papers: 512
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T
technical university of munich
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7.1K
Papers: 2.8K
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M
munich center for machine learning
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9
Papers: 4
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E
european space agency
Scholars:
441
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