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Research ESRIG - Energy and Sustainability Research Institute Groningen Events

PhD ceremony: Quantifying local to regional emissions of methane using UAV-based atmospheric concentration measurements | Truls Andersen

When:Mo 15-11-2021 at 12:45
Where:Academy building, Broerstraat 5

PhD ceremony:
T. (Truls) Andersen, MSc
When:
November 15, 2021
Start:
12:45
Supervisors:
Where:
Faculty:
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Institute:
Research group:
Centre for Isotope Research (CIO)

Abstract

The uncertainty in methane (CH4) emissions that go into the global methane cycle is significant, and accurate atmospheric measurements and quantification of CH4 is of vital importance to reduce this uncertainty. This thesis explores the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in combination with a high accuracy methane sampling tool to measure and quantify CH4 emissions.

First, a suitable instrument capable of accurate measurements of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is developed and tested. Second, using this newly developed instrumentation, a technique for quantifying methane emissions from a point source is developed. Finally, this instrumentation and technique is used to sample and quantify the regional CH4 emissions from a large industrial coal mining region. The results coming from this thesis has helped progress the use of mobile unmanned aerial vehicles for atmospheric trace gas research, and shows that quantification techniques using UAVs can be a powerful tool to make accurate measurements of CH4 and other trace gases, and further help in lowering the overall uncertainty on the atmospheric carbon cycle.