Concentrations of methane are increasing over the UAE, a new study has revealed.
Levels are high in coastal areas, where there are landfill sites and sabkha habitats – mud flat or salt flat areas – both of which are key sources of the gas.
Inland, concentrations are high around the Hajar Mountains, where methane is thought to be emitted by farms and microorganisms that live in wadis.
The researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi behind the new study in Frontiers in Environmental Science used satellite data to calculate concentrations of the gas – which has the chemical formula CH4 – over the past few years.
They found that “column values” of methane, known as XCH4, were increasing by around nine parts per billion per year.
This was double the increase recorded over two other locations – the Arctic and Argentina – for which similar work has been carried out using satellite data.
Increasing population
Dr Diana Francis, an assistant professor in the earth sciences department at Khalifa University and the first author of the study, said that the increases in concentration were probably mostly the result of human activity “related to population growth and economic development in the region and globally”.
“Landfill sites and industrial sites in general are the most significant contributors to anthropogenic emissions and, therefore, they are the key sources to focus on when it comes to strategies towards net-zero targets,” she said.
A large proportion of the methane over the UAE may come, she said, from countries to the north, given that the prevailing winds are north-westerlies.
Methane is described as being 86 times more potent than CO2 at warming the Earth’s atmosphere over a two-decade period.
While CO2 retains its warming capacity for about 200 years, methane only remains for around nine to 12 years. As a result, measures to cut methane emissions can have a major effect on limiting temperature rises in a relatively short period.
Contributing to global warming
Scientists estimate that methane is responsible for around 0.5°C of the increase in temperatures experienced since pre-industrial times. This is just over one-third of total warming.
The UAE is among 150 nations to have signed the Global Methane Pledge – a commitment to ensure that methane emissions in 2030 are 30 per cent lower than in 2020.
Pledge organisers say that cutting methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030 “could eliminate over 0.2˚C warming by 2050” .
Dr Francis said that cutting methane emissions required the implementation of regulations, the introduction of new technology and, across various sectors, efforts to minimise leaks, losses and emissions.
Methane-absorbing vegetation
Even in natural habitats that give off significant amounts of methane, such as the sabkha habitats, efforts can be made to reduce emissions.
These include helping to promote the growth of native vegetation, including plants adapted to high salinity, such as Salicornia.
“Vegetation acts as a sink for methane and can help reduce emissions by absorbing the gas,” said Dr Francis, who heads Khalifa University’s environmental and geophysical sciences laboratory.
Another way to reduce methane emissions is to avoid soil disturbance, as this can release stored carbon and trigger the production and release of methane, she added.
“By reducing methane emissions, we can help mitigate significantly the rate of global warming in the coming decades and its associated impacts, such as rising temperatures, extreme weather events and sea-level rise,” said Dr Francis.
The researchers behind the latest study are keen to see more measurements of CH4 levels taking place in the UAE.
This would help, for example, to distinguish between methane that originates locally and regionally, and between that caused by human activity and nature.
“This is very critical if we want to put in place effective measures and strategies for emission reduction,” Dr Francis added.
Other authors of the new study are based at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and the Stevens Institute of Technology in the US.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
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Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
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Always use only regulated platforms
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
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Saturday
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Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
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The biog
Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician
Hometown: Ghazala, Syria
Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978
Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter
Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi
Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.
Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo
Favourite food: fresh fish
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
