Estimates of North African Methane Emissions from 2010 to 2017 Using GOSAT Observations

Source characteristics of methane emissions in Africa are not well understood, despite methane's role as the second largest anthropogenic contributor to climate change. Here, we present monthly methane emission estimates from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia between 2010 and 2017, a region dominated by anthropogenic emissions. Emissions are estimated using observations from the GOSAT satellite and a Markov chain Monte Carlo inverse algorithm. Our top-down North African methane emissions are generally in line with inventory estimates and national reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). An exception is that summertime emissions from the Nile Delta region are considerably higher than those predicted by inventory estimates, possibly due to agricultural practices and the influence of the Nile.

Automated summary

This study estimated methane emissions in North Africa from 2010 to 2017 using satellite observations and an inverse algorithm, showing that emissions in the Nile Delta region during summer are significantly higher than predicted, possibly due to agricultural practices and the influence of the Nile.