Investigating Indian methane emission using TROPOMI retrievals and WRF-GHG modelling framework

Methane (CH₄) has a significant global warming potential and a short atmospheric lifetime, making it a critical target for climate change mitigation. In India, the primary contributors to methane emissions are domestic ruminants, fossil fuels, waste management, rice cultivation, and wetlands. In the present study, we explore the column-averaged dry-air mixing ratio measurements of methane (XCH_₄) from the TROPOMI (Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument) aboard the ESA Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite and the methane simulations from Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem-GHG) to quantify the Indian region methane emission. The investigation focuses on the seasonal and spatial variations of the anthropogenic component of methane over India and compares them with simulations to assess the uncertainties in the current understanding. An inversion analysis utilising these satellite observations will be presented to offer critical insights into current emission trends and improvements in emission inventories over India.