EAGER: MethaneAIR

该项目的目标是在美国国家科学基金会的湾流- v飞机上测试一种名为MethaneAIR的新开发仪器。这台新仪器将以比以前更高的分辨率测量大气中的二氧化碳和甲烷。MethaneAIR的设计和采购由环境保护基金（EDF）和私人慈善机构资助，作为EDF国际甲烷项目的一部分。MethaneAIR将为大气科学界提供新的观测技术和研究基础设施，并为学生教育和研究培训以及公众参与科学技术提供机会。MethaneAIR仪器由两个成像光谱仪组成，它们被设计为MethaneSAT的前身，MethaneSAT是一颗小型卫星，旨在彻底改变全球范围内从区域（100公里）到精细尺度（1公里）的甲烷排放测量和建模。建议于2019年11月和2020年2月在科罗拉多州的NSF G-V飞机上进行两次MethaneAIR部署。除了对全塔柱干空气CH4和CO2摩尔分数的高分辨率测量外，大气气辉的精细尺度时空变化率将被表征并纳入总塔柱O2的反演中。研究飞行将包括对主要目标的排放调查，包括科罗拉多州东北部的Julesburg Basin O&amp；G油田，怀俄明州gillette - campbell附近的煤矿，以及科罗拉多前沿山脉沿线的其他目标，如城市，垃圾填埋场和养牛场。法国电力公司承诺与更广泛的社区合作，将这些工具广泛应用于大气和环境调查。该项目符合EAGER奖的标准，因为它具有探索性，并且必须满足多种工程和科学挑战。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。

The goal of this project is to test a newly developed instrument, named MethaneAIR, on the NSF Gulfstream-V aircraft. This new instrument will measure carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere at a higher resolution than previously possible. The design and acquisition of MethaneAIR is funded by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and private philanthropy, as part of the EDF International Methane project. MethaneAIR will provide new observing technology and research infrastructure for the atmospheric science community as well as opportunities for student education and research training and public engagement with science and technology. The MethaneAIR instrument consists of two imaging spectrometers that have been designed as the precursor to MethaneSAT, a small satellite intended to revolutionize measurements and modeling of emissions of CH4 from regional (100s of km) to fine scale ( 1 km) across the globe. Two deployments of MethaneAIR are suggested to take place over Colorado on the NSF G-V aircraft during November 2019 and February 2020. In addition to high resolution measurements of the total-column dry air mole fraction of CH4 and CO2, the fine scale spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric airglow will be characterized and incorporated into retrievals of total column O2. The research flights will incorporate emission surveys of major targets of interest, including the Julesburg Basin O&G field in Northeastern Colorado, the coal mines near Gillete-Campbell in Wyoming, and other targets along the Colorado Front Range such as cities, landfills, and cattle operations. The EDF has committed to partnering with the broader community to apply these tools widely to atmospheric and environmental investigations. This project meets the criteria for an EAGER award because of its exploratory nature and the multiple engineering and science challenges that must be met.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.