MethaneCAMP project – first results

The ESA funded two-year MethaneCAMP project addresses specifically satellite observations of methane (CH4) in the Arctic in support of the collaborative ESA-NASA Arctic Methane and Permafrost Challenge (AMPAC) initiative.  Up to now, satellite retrievals of methane have not been optimised for the high latitude conditions. Known challenges are caused by high solar zenith angles, low reflectivity over snow and ice, frequent cloudiness, varying polar vortex conditions and limited number of validation data sets. The goal of MethaneCAMP is to improve the observation capacity over polar regions by assessing and optimising methane retrievals at high northern latitudes. Furthermore, MethaneCAMP aims to demonstrate the potential of using satellite observations of methane together with modelling and surface observations in analysing spatial and temporal changes of the Arctic methane. Specifically, we will focus on Sentinel 5P/TROPMI, GOSAT, GOSAT-2 and IASI XCH4 observations and on few case studies of high spatial resolution instruments. In this presentation we review the preliminary results of MethaneCAMP project which are achieved in the first year and discuss how the outcomes can be utilised in the AMPAC working group activities.