Key Questions
- How large are the contributions from natural carbon gas cycles and the human additions to greenhouse gas budgets?
- What are the regional European trends and variability of atmospheric composition in relation to changes in surface emissions?
- How to validate and integrate satellite observations with ground-based and airborne observations to obtain a coherent picture?
- What are the global trends of atmospheric composition and how to reduce the uncertainties of surface emissions and atmospheric processes?
Monitoring the European boundary layer: CO2 and CH4 measurement, both in Europe and as part of Europe's contribution to WMO's Global Atmospheric Watch. See the list of stations for greenhouse gases in GEOmon (as of January 2008)
Objectives
- To support CO2 and CH4 monitoring. GEOmon will support an array of sites across Europe and globally. Data harmonization will be improved and near real time data processing will be initiated at several sites.
- In situ monitoring from regular passenger aircraft in the free troposphere, using the CARIBIC measurement container on a Lufthansa A340-600.
- Installation of four new near-infrared solar spectrometry systems across Europe.
Work packages
- 1: In situ monitoring of CO2 and CH4
in the European boundary layer and real-time data
* CO2 and CH4 measurement in the atmospheric boundary layer across Europe
* Intercomparison round robin experiments to interlink European data sets (and US)
* Implementation of near real-time data feeding the GEOmon Data Centre, available at RAMCES
* New flask sample stations will be added (e.g. Cyprus), filling major gaps
- 2: In situ monitoring of the free troposphere
* Use of the unique CARIBIC dataset for ground-truthing satellite observations
- 3: Near-infrared FTIR total column CO2 and CH4 over Europe
* Near-infrared solar spectrometry stations on Svaalbard (Norway) and Bremen
* New near-infrared solar spectrometry systems stations (Poland, France)
* Ground-truth satellites results (e.g. SCIAMACHY, OCO and GOSAT)
