CAREER: Methane emissions from the US and Canada -- novel insights from an expanding observation network

职业：美国和加拿大的甲烷排放——来自不断扩大的观测网络的新见解

• 批准号: 2237404
• 负责人: Scot Miller
• 金额: $ 51.94万
• 依托单位: Johns Hopkins University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2028-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2237404&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Methane; emissions; US; Canada

Methane is the second-most important greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide in terms of its climate impact. Compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) has a much shorter residence time in the atmosphere approximately 9-12 years compared to 300-1000 years for CO2. However, the global warming potential of methane is 28 times larger than that of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. In the United States, several federal and state agencies have set goals for reducing methane emissions. However, there are large uncertainties in the current knowledge and accounting of CH4 emissions and how these emissions are changing over time. The overarching goal of this CAREER project is to quantify how methane emissions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have changed over nearly two decades from 2007-2026. To advance this goal, the Principal Investigator (PI) proposes to leverage an expanding network of atmospheric methane observations (collected from airplanes, atop TV towers, and satellites) and recent advances in inverse modeling (algorithms and software) that enable the estimations of previously unaccounted sources of CH4 emissions in North America using massive satellite datasets. The successful completion of this project will benefit society through the generation of new data and fundamental knowledge that could be used to (1) better understand and quantify CH4 emissions in North America, and (2) guide the implementation and evaluation of policies and solutions designed to reduce the global emissions of a potent GHG such as methane. Further benefits to society will be achieved through student education and training including the mentoring of a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.Methane (CH4) emissions in North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) have changed significantly during the past twenty years driven to a large extent by a substantial increase in oil and gas production. This CAREER project will address critical knowledge gaps in the current level of understanding and quantification of CH4 emissions in North America. The specific objectives of the research are to: (1) quantify how anthropogenic methane emissions in North America have changed over two decades (2007-2026) using a combination of ground-based and satellite observations, (2) evaluate the changing contribution of large and super-emitters of methane in North America using satellite observations from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), (3) estimate the distribution and year-to-year variability of CH4 fluxes from wetlands in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and 4) quantify the relationships between CH4 fluxes from wetlands and key environmental drivers with the goal of developing more accurate and robust process models of methane emissions by wetlands. The successful completion of this research has the potential for transformative impact through the leveraging of an expanded network of atmospheric methane observations and new approaches to inverse modeling that could enable the identification and quantification of previously unaccounted sources of CH4 emissions in North America using massive satellite datasets. To implement the educational and outreach activities of this CAREER project, the Principal Investigator (PI) proposes to leverage existing programs and resources at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to develop and deliver two integrated educational activities focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change (CC). For the first educational activity, the PI will work with the JHU Center for Educational Outreach to create hands-on activities about GHG emissions and CC for Baltimore City middle school students enrolled in the Barclay Summer Academy. For the second educational activity, the PI proposes to develop an interdisciplinary undergraduate course on GHG emissions and climate policy at JHU that will include discussions with scientists, engineers, and policy experts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

就气候影响而言，甲烷是仅次于二氧化碳的第二大温室气体（GHG）。与二氧化碳（CO2）相比，甲烷（CH4）在大气中的停留时间要短得多，约为9-12年，而二氧化碳为300-1000年。然而，在100年的时间里，甲烷的全球变暖潜力是二氧化碳的28倍。在美国，一些联邦和州机构已经设定了减少甲烷排放的目标。然而，目前关于CH4排放的知识和计算以及这些排放如何随时间变化存在很大的不确定性。CAREER项目的总体目标是量化2007-2026年近20年间美国、加拿大和墨西哥甲烷排放量的变化情况。为了实现这一目标，首席研究员（PI）建议利用不断扩大的大气甲烷观测网络（从飞机、电视塔和卫星上收集）和逆建模（算法和软件）的最新进展，利用大量卫星数据集估算北美以前未计算的甲烷排放源。该项目的成功完成将通过产生新的数据和基础知识来造福社会，这些数据和基础知识可用于：(1)更好地了解和量化北美的CH4排放，以及(2)指导旨在减少甲烷等强效温室气体全球排放的政策和解决方案的实施和评估。进一步的社会效益将通过学生教育和培训实现，包括在约翰霍普金斯大学的研究生的指导。在过去二十年中，北美（美国、加拿大和墨西哥）的甲烷（CH4）排放量发生了显著变化，这在很大程度上是由于石油和天然气产量的大幅增加。该CAREER项目将解决目前对北美甲烷排放的理解和量化水平的关键知识缺口。研究的具体目标是：(1)利用地面观测和卫星观测相结合的方法量化过去20年（2007-2026年）北美人为甲烷排放的变化；(2)利用对流层监测仪器（TROPOMI）的卫星观测评估北美甲烷大排放国和超级排放国的变化贡献；(3)估算美国、加拿大和墨西哥湿地CH4通量的分布和年际变率。4)量化湿地甲烷通量与关键环境驱动因素之间的关系，以建立更准确、更可靠的湿地甲烷排放过程模型。通过利用扩大的大气甲烷观测网络和新的反演建模方法，这项研究的成功完成有可能产生变革性影响，这些方法可以利用大量卫星数据集识别和量化北美以前未计算的甲烷排放源。为了实施这个职业项目的教育和推广活动，首席研究员（PI）建议利用约翰霍普金斯大学（JHU）现有的项目和资源来开发和提供两个综合的教育活动，重点是温室气体（GHG）排放和气候变化（CC）。在第一个教育活动中，PI将与JHU教育推广中心合作，为参加巴克莱暑期学院的巴尔的摩市中学生举办有关温室气体排放和碳污染的实践活动。第二项教育活动，PI建议在JHU开设一门关于温室气体排放和气候政策的跨学科本科课程，包括与科学家、工程师和政策专家进行讨论。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。