Scientists Detect Record-Breaking Methane Leak in Kazakhstan: The Largest Ever Documented

Scientists have documented the largest methane leak ever in Kazakhstan’s Karaturun East field, releasing 131,000 tonnes over 205 days. Their study used satellite data and advanced methods for detection and quantification.

An international team of scientists, led by Dr. Luis Guanter, a professor at the Universitat Politècnica de València and head of the LARS Group at the Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering (IIAMA-UPV), has documented the largest methane leak ever recorded at an oil well. This well is located in the Karaturun East field in Kazakhstan.

The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters and selected by Nature as a Research Highlight, quantifies and tracks the evolution of this massive methane emission, thanks to the potential of combining satellite data from several missions such as TROPOMI, GHGSat, PRISMA, EnMAP, and EMIT, together with Sentinel-2 and Landsat multispectral radiometer.