Greenhouse Gas Budget Inversion and Attribution
We combine ground observations, satellite retrievals, emission inventories, and inverse modeling to evaluate methane, carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gas sources and sinks, diagnose regional inventories, explain concentration changes, and identify mitigation opportunities.
Why it matters
Methane and carbon dioxide are central drivers of global warming. Their atmospheric concentrations have increased markedly since the industrial era, yet diverse sources and uncertain emissions make it difficult to determine how much is released and why concentrations are changing. By tracking atmospheric concentrations with satellites and in-situ observations and inferring emissions with numerical models, we test inventories, identify priority sources, and support more credible carbon accounting and mitigation decisions.
Topic
Global Methane Budget Inversion and Attribution
We develop atmospheric inversion algorithms and combine satellite, surface, and isotopic observations to resolve global methane sources and sinks and explain concentration changes.
Our contributions
- The group has developed inversion approaches that integrate satellite, near-surface methane, and isotope observations, quantifying the contributions of wetland and anthropogenic sources to methane growth.
Paper
Our teamGlobal methane budget and trend, 2010–2017: complementarity of inverse analyses using in situ (GLOBALVIEWplus CH4 ObsPack) and satellite (GOSAT) observations
Representative work for Global Methane Budget Inversion and Attribution.
Related people
Regional Greenhouse Gas Evolution and Emission Inventories
We evaluate national and regional inventories and diagnose the magnitude and evolution of oil-and-gas, industrial, and urban emissions.
Our contributions
- We develop high-resolution regional and point-source greenhouse gas inversions and reveal large biases in fossil-fuel emission estimates.
Paper
FeaturedOur teamFeaturedOur teamOur teamMethane emissions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico: evaluation of national methane emission inventories and 2010–2017 sectoral trends by inverse analysis of in situ (GLOBALVIEWplus CH4 ObsPack) and satellite (GOSAT) atmospheric observations
Representative work for Regional Greenhouse Gas Evolution and Emission Inventories.
Our teamReconciling Bottom–Up and Top–Down Approaches to Quantify Sub-Regional Methane Emissions with Improved Inventory and Three-Year High-Resolution Satellite Measurements
Representative work for Regional Greenhouse Gas Evolution and Emission Inventories.