New approach to satellite-based emission monitoring of air pollutants with a high level of detail.
New approach to satellite-based emission monitoring of air pollutants with a high level of detail.
A research team from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and Heidelberg University has, for the first time, used the German environmental satellite EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) to simultaneously detect the two key air pollutants carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in emission plumes from power plants – with an unprecedented spatial resolution of just 30 meters. The newly developed method allows for tracking of industrial emissions from space with great precision and enables atmospheric processes to be analyzed in detail. The results were published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are among the most significant anthropogenic air pollutants – with consequences for climate, health, and air quality. Satellite measurements are considered a key tool for independent emission monitoring. Previously, however, they were subject to significant limitations: many sensors have spatial resolutions that are too coarse to detect isolated emissions sources such as power plants reliably. Atmospheric processes – such as clouds, or the chemical reaction of nitrogen oxides – also complicate data interpretation. In the case of CO2, the high background values often mask the relatively weak emission signals.
Read more at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
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