Quantifying Carbon Dioxide and Methane Hotspots: A Simulation Study with the TANGO Satellite Initiative

In addressing the challenges caused by climate change, it is crucial to understand the impact of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emissions. Therefore, it is essential to collect accurate and precise information on the sources of these greenhouse gases to develop effective mitigation strategies. Here, we present a simulation study for quantifying the emission hotspot targets using next-generation satellite sensors. A satellite end-to-end simulator will be used to identify and prioritize targets of CH₄ and CO₂ sources around the globe.

The current study will follow the orbit and satellite parameters of the proposed Twin Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas Observers (TANGO) mission, representing an innovative CubeSat satellite initiative consisting of two satellites. TANGO-Carbon (1) will measure CO₂ and CH₄ in the 1.6 μm range, while TANGO-Nitro (2) will detect NO₂ and cloud-related data. These satellites offer a spatial resolution of 300x300 m², covering target areas spanning 30x30 km². The TANGO mission aims to quantify point sources with CO₂ emission rates of at least 2 Mt/yr and CH₄ emissions of at least 5 kt/yr. Supported by national Dutch funding, the TANGO mission is scheduled for launch in 2027.

After identifying localized point sources through the simulation study, we present performance analyses for these future-generation satellites. From an identified target tile, a simulated measurement study will also be conducted. Expected concentration fields will be used to create synthetic measurements from spectrometer parameters. These synthetic measurements will be used in a physics-based radiative transfer model to estimate emission rates. Additionally, we will examine different performance metrics and potential error sources, such as errors due to aerosol scattering, to understand how they might affect our emissions estimates.