The Paris Agreement set out to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This also involves collecting data. The University of Bremen plays a significant role in this.
Researchers from the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Bremen will play a key role in the upcoming project that involves Copernicus satellites that will monitor man-made carbon dioxide emissions. The project, entitled CO2M (Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Mission), will collect data to track progress in reducing carbon dioxide and methane emissions, as agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement.
Four years ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) selected the Bremen-based space company OHB to build new CO2M greenhouse gas satellites as part of the European COPERNICUS program. In October of this year, ESA and the European Union announced that funding for three CO2M satellites had been secured. These satellites are based on the work / CarbonSat concept of researchers at the University of Bremen. The Institute of Environmental Physics' scientists remain involved in the setup of the system, for example, by developing innovative data analysis methods and aircraft-based greenhouse gas measurements.
Important Data on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The global greenhouse gas emission data provided by the CO2M satellites is needed to quantify the sources of greenhouse gases from local to global scales. For example, the satellites can be used to detect emissions from large power plants or cities. The aim is to identify man-made greenhouse gas emissions, then reduce them and limit climate change.
“With the CO2M system, we will have an important source of information in Europe,” says Professor Hartmut Bösch from the Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen. “CO2M will represent an advance in space-based observation of anthropogenic CO₂ and methane emissions.”
The CO2M Mission builds on academic expertise and technological innovation, which is largely attributed to the University of Bremen's contributions to CarbonSat. This earlier mission concept, developed under the European Space Agency's Earth Explorer Program, was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of measuring CO₂ and methane (CH₄) emissions from space with high precision.
The Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen played a central role in designing the scientific objectives, instrument requirements, and data processing methods. This work on CarbonSat laid the foundation for CO2M. The researchers developed novel algorithms and simulation techniques that ensure the accuracy of atmospheric measurements, particularly in distinguishing between man-made CO₂ sources and natural emissions.
The Challenge: Not Just Collecting Data, but Evaluating It
At present, researchers at the University of Bremen are developing an evaluation algorithm for the CO2M Mission. As part of a major European initiative, the Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen has been commissioned by the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) to develop the evaluation programs that will be used to generate the CO2M data products. These data products will be the central element of the European CO₂ Monitoring and Verification Service of the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned the Institute of Environmental Physics at the University of Bremen to design and build the aircraft-based CO2M system CAMAP (CO2 And Methane Airborne maPper). This is due to the IUP's expertise in building and operating airborne imaging sensors for greenhouse gases.
The CO2M satellites are being built by a European industrial syndicate under the lead of OHB in Bremen. The first satellite is to be launched in 2027.
Further Information:
https://www.iup.uni-bremen.de/carbon_ghg/
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2023/12/Tracking_human_emissions_from_space
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Bösch
University of Bremen
Faculty of Physics / Electrical Engineering
Institute of Environmental Physics
Phone: +49 421 218-62777
Email: hboeschprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
Dr. Michael Buchwitz
University of Bremen
Faculty of Physics / Electrical Engineering
Institute of Environmental Physics
Phone: +49 421 218-62086
Email: buchwitzprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
Dr. Heinrich Bovensmann
University of Bremen
Faculty of Physics / Electrical Engineering
Institute of Environmental Physics
Phone: +49 421 218-62102
Email: heinrich.bovensmannprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
