MEXICO: The so-called “Four Corners” mystery, an inexplicable methane hot spot discovered in the region of the United States that bears its name, has been baffling scientists since October of last year and continues to do so.
Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases in existence, easily outstripping carbon dioxide for its ability to absorb and trap heat in the atmosphere. The discovery of such a hot spot in the Four Corners region is obviously cause for concern, especially with international awareness of climate change has reached epidemic levels.
It may seem flummoxing to think that the region of the United States where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet is pumping out a 2,500 square mile cloud of methane into the atmosphere, but the gas is notoriously hard to detect. Unlike the form of methane added to natural gas or propane that emits its signature “rotten egg” smell, natural methane is odorless and colorless, precipitating the need for advanced detection methods besides just sniffing the air and noticing a particularly pungent odor that smells like a midden heap.
NASA has been hard at work monitoring the cloud from orbit with the aid of sensitive satellite equipment. Other organizations are aiding the US space agency on the ground with other sensitive detection equipment in an effort to understand the cloud and hopefully trace its origins. These scientists and researchers are scrambling to discover the source; NASA officials from its Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory have been confident with the new double-pronged approach of both airborne and terrestrial investigations that the mystery will soon be solved.
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