Ethiopian Volcanic Methane Emission
In January 2025, Mount Fentale , a stratovolcano in Ethiopia's Afar region, released an unusually high volume of methane emissions . On January 31, satellite monitoring detected 58 metric tonnes per hour of methane escaping from the volcano. This was identified through a collaboration between the European Space Agency’s Copernicus program and GHGSat , a Canadian greenhouse gas monitoring organization. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas , trapping about 28 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period . Typically, volcanoes emit gases like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, making this large methane release highly unusual. Scientists believe the movement of underground magma may have fractured subsurface gas deposits , allowing methane to escape. The methane emissions began to decline by February 9, 2025 , but this event has highlighted the importance of advanced satellite monitoring in tracking greenhouse gas emissions from natural sources. Researchers are now studying its pot…
