KOROLYOV, Moscow region. Jan 26 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia will use micro-satellites for constant monitoring of greenhouse gases, methane and CO2, in the atmosphere to expose the cause of climate change, Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute Director Lev Zelyony told reporters.
"Scientists are arguing about causes of climate change: whether it develops under human impact or results from solar activity. We know the average temperatures and know that the amount of methane and CO2 in the atmosphere is growing, but we do not know where the gases come from. There is no local monitoring of the sort," he said.
The institute is developing the Chibis-K research micro-satellite and will offer the Federal Hydro-Meteorological Committee to place six satellites of the kind in orbit for the constant local monitoring of greenhouse gases.
"There is a very popular but unconfirmed theory that greenhouse gases might come from bogs in which methane forms in plant rotting. Satellites flying above Siberian bogs may show us this local increase of the content of methane and we will draw a map," he said.
It is hard to accomplish the mission with one satellite only; there is a need for a small network for constant monitoring, Zelyony said.