- 1National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
- 2Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
- 3Institute for Materials Chemistry, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
- 4Japan Agency for Marine–Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Japan
- 5Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan
- 6Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- 7Heidelberg Center for the Environment, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Precise observations of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions are essential for improving emission inventories and evaluating the potential of their reduction, supporting the global stocktake. The global coverage of ship-, aircraft-, and ground-based observations by public and private networks, together with satellite observations of GHGs and other trace gases, is expanding. However, observations and reference data over ocean and coastal regions remain scarce.
We conduct continuous cargo ship-based observations with a novel semi-automatic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer combined with a VIS (visible spectral range) grating spectrometer to measure the column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of carbon dioxide (XCO2), methane (XCH4), carbon monoxide (XCO) and the vertical column densities of nitrogen dioxide (VCDNO2). Combined with simultaneous in situ observations (CO2, CH4, CO, NO2), we aim to constrain anthropogenic emissions and contribute to a satellite validation framework for upcoming satellite missions like the Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) or the Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (CO2M) mission. These missions are designed to identify and monitor anthropogenic emissions by observing the GHG CO2 and the short-lived combustion tracer NO2 simultaneously. With our novel setup, we have the capability to validate these concurrent observations.
The cargo ship operates along major anthropogenic emission sources on Japan’s coast between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the island of Kyushu in the southwest with a weekly round-trip schedule. We present the initial analysis results of the combined columnar and in situ observations for emission plume detection and inventory validation, and provide perspectives of the setup for satellite validation and anthropogenic emission monitoring.
How to cite: Müller, A., Tanimoto, H., Frey, M. M., Enders, V., Patra, P. K., Sugita, T., Kleinschek, R., Voss, K., Butz, A., Morino, I., Nakaoka, S., Nara, H., and Machida, T.: Towards Shipborne Emission Monitoring and Satellite Validation of CO2, CH4, CO, and NO2 Through Simultaneous Columnar and In Situ Observations, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-17804, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-17804, 2025.
