GEMMA (Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurement and Modelling Advancement) is being led by the National Physical Laboratory in partnership with the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), Met Office, National Centre for Earth Observation and Bristol University.
The team aims to create an integrated network to monitor all sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the UK.
According to NCAS, the information database will play a driving role in helping to achieve emission reduction targets nationally, and support global efforts to limit climate temperature rise.
In a statement Tom Gardiner, principal research scientist at NPL, said: “The GEMMA programme aims to use the latest developments in atmospheric measurements and modelling to determine the contributions of the different GHG sources and sinks to the overall UK inventory and how these change with time.
“It will be delivered through a unique collaboration that brings together key expertise from the academic and public sector research community, building on the strong UK capabilities in GHG measurement and inventory verification. The output from the two-year project will deliver a blueprint for a long-term framework to provide a detailed, measurement-based assessment of the UK’s progress towards delivering Net-Zero.”
Net emissions in the UK are currently determined from known and recognised sources and sinks. NCAS said Earth’s climate responds to all contributions - whether known or not – which is why accurate ongoing measurement of GHG emissions in the UK is crucial; firstly, to identify their sources, and then to mitigate and reduce them.
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GEMMA will implement a top-down systems approach to complement the detail of traditional bottom-up inventories, to provide the best available UK net emissions information.
As part of the £12m investment, NCAS will lead upgrades on their nationwide measurement facilities, initially providing enhanced capability for monitoring gases at Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory in Norfolk. The organisation will work also with Manchester University on assessing whether UAVs can provide a long-term solution for collecting emissions data in the atmosphere.
Nationwide, the GEMMA system will include six existing tall tower sites, plus one site currently under construction and one entirely new site. The tall tower measurements will be augmented by a network of remote sensing instruments that measure the total amount of gases in the atmosphere above them. Data from the sites will be processed along with meteorological data to produce measured UK emissions rates. The intention is to make this data available online.
Professor Sir Duncan Wingham, executive chair, natural Environment Research Council (NERC) said: “By working collectively and leveraging new and existing investment and activity, we are harnessing the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.
“This investment falls under the umbrella of Building a Green Future, one of five UKRI strategic themes of our five-year strategy Transforming Tomorrow Together, and aims to accelerate the green economy by supporting research and innovation that unlock solutions essential to achieving NetZero in the UK by 2050.”
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