Collaborative Research: Multi-Regional Scale Aircraft Observations of Methane and Carbon Dioxide Isotopic Fluxes in the Arctic

该提案直接解决了由于北冰洋冰盖的消失而从陆地融化区和海洋系统释放二氧化碳和甲烷的问题。甲烷和二氧化碳的同位素通量的空中测量将使用哈佛大学在国家科学基金会核磁共振倡议下开发的新光谱仪系统进行。该仪器具有足够的精度和准确度，可以区分北极地区的热源和生物源碳，也可以测量N2O和水蒸气以及其他示踪剂。美国国家海洋和大气管理局?大气湍流和分部（ATDD）在实地部署机载通量系统以及最佳空气湍流（BAT）探测器方面具有专业知识。拟议活动的更广泛影响来自该项目独特的测量和监测策略，为国家碳监测网络奠定基础，这将成为任何限制碳排放的计划或国际协议的关键组成部分。该项目将填补技术空白，并提供一个设计多样的系统，允许以特定碳相关问题为中心的无数未来应用，如固存和森林化学，以及评估各国的总体碳库存。

This proposal directly addresses the release of carbon dioxide and methane from terrestrial melt zones and ocean systems that result from the loss of the Arctic Ocean ice cover. Airborne measurements of the fluxes of isotopologues of methane and carbon dioxide will be conducted using a new spectrometer system developed at Harvard under an NSF MRI initiative. This instrument has sufficient precision and accuracy to distinguish between thermogenic and biogenic sources of carbon in the Arctic, as well as measuring N2O and water vapor, as well as other tracers. NOAA?s Atmospheric Turbulence and Division Division (ATDD) bring their expertise in field deployments of airborne flux systems as well as a Best Air Turbulence (BAT) probe to the field mission. The broader impacts of the proposed activity emerge from the unique measurements and monitoring strategy of this project to develop a foundation for a national carbon monitoring network, which will be a key component of any program or international agreement to limit carbon emissions. The project will fill a technological void and deliver a system that is versatile by design, allowing for myriad future applications that are centered on specific carbon-related issues, such as sequestration and forest chemistry, as well as assessing the overall country-by-country inventory of carbon.