Fig. 2: Ethane hyperspectral range indices (HRIs) derived from CrIS radiances over fossil fuel production regions.

Panel (a) shows the location and spatial extent of the other panels, which contain data for the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico, US⁴⁶ (b, f), the Hassi Messaoud oil field in Algeria⁴⁷ (c, g), the Burun oil field in Turkmenistan⁴⁷ (d, h), and the Ordos basin in northern China⁴⁸ (e, i). Panels (b–e) show the 2013–2021 mean ethane HRI values as detected by CrIS over these areas. Panels (f–i) show bottom-up fossil fuel data for the same locations based on oil production by well⁴⁹ (f; 2018 data) or based on the estimated methane emissions from oil extraction and production⁵⁰ (g–i). Blue rectangles highlight high-HRI regions on each set of paired figures, with annual oil-related methane emissions from within those squares listed beneath⁵⁰. Color scale maxima vary between regions.