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A model study on monitoring CO2 emissions of cities from high-altitude pseudo satellites
High altitude pseudo satellites are self-sustaining, unmanned air vehicles that fly in the stratosphere (~20 km above the ground) and can be kept in a stationary position (e.g., above a city) for several weeks to months. In this project, you will perform an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) to answer the question how accurately a HAPS-based imaging spectrometer would need to measure CO2 to be able quantify the CO2 emissions of a city.
A satellite-based CO2 monitoring system will be able to monitor CO2 emissions of megacities, but it will be likely not sufficiently accurate for monitoring all cities. An alternative platform for monitoring CO2 emissions are high-altitude pseudo satellites, which are self-sustaining, unmanned air vehicles that fly in the stratosphere (~20 km above the ground) and can be kept in a stationary position (e.g., above a city) for several weeks to months. In this project, you will perform an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) to answer the question how accurately a HAPS-based imaging spectrometer would need to measure CO2 to be able quantify the CO2 emissions of a city.
**Key questions:**
- How accurate can we measure the CO2 emissions of a city using HAPS observations?
- Can we use co-emitted NOx emissions for improving the estimated CO2 emissions?
- Is it possible to estimate emissions of different sectors (e.g., industry, heating and transport) using information about the temporal variability of emissions?
**Key tasks:**
- Simulate CO2 and NOx fields for Zurich using the GRAMM/GRAL modelling system.
- Generate synthetic HAPS observations from the model fields using different uncertainty scenarios for the sensors.
- Develop a simplified inversion system to estimate CO2 and NOx emissions for different scenarios.
A satellite-based CO2 monitoring system will be able to monitor CO2 emissions of megacities, but it will be likely not sufficiently accurate for monitoring all cities. An alternative platform for monitoring CO2 emissions are high-altitude pseudo satellites, which are self-sustaining, unmanned air vehicles that fly in the stratosphere (~20 km above the ground) and can be kept in a stationary position (e.g., above a city) for several weeks to months. In this project, you will perform an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) to answer the question how accurately a HAPS-based imaging spectrometer would need to measure CO2 to be able quantify the CO2 emissions of a city.
**Key questions:**
- How accurate can we measure the CO2 emissions of a city using HAPS observations? - Can we use co-emitted NOx emissions for improving the estimated CO2 emissions? - Is it possible to estimate emissions of different sectors (e.g., industry, heating and transport) using information about the temporal variability of emissions?
**Key tasks:**
- Simulate CO2 and NOx fields for Zurich using the GRAMM/GRAL modelling system. - Generate synthetic HAPS observations from the model fields using different uncertainty scenarios for the sensors. - Develop a simplified inversion system to estimate CO2 and NOx emissions for different scenarios.
Not specified
Gerrit Kuhlmann (gerrit.kuhlmann@empa.ch)
(Note: Applications are only possible for students from Swiss universities. Internships are only possible within the framework of a compulsory internship during studies.)
Gerrit Kuhlmann (gerrit.kuhlmann@empa.ch)
(Note: Applications are only possible for students from Swiss universities. Internships are only possible within the framework of a compulsory internship during studies.)
