NSF Award
1208254
This proposal directly addresses the release of carbon dioxide and methane from terrestrial melt zones and ocean systems that result from the loss of the Arctic Ocean ice cover. Airborne measurements of the fluxes of isotopologues of methane and carbon dioxide will be conducted using a new spectrometer system developed at Harvard under an NSF MRI initiative. This instrument has sufficient precision and accuracy to distinguish between thermogenic and biogenic sources of carbon in the Arctic, as well as measuring N2O and water vapor, as well as other tracers. NOAA?s Atmospheric Turbulence and Division Division (ATDD) bring their expertise in field deployments of airborne flux systems as well as a Best Air Turbulence (BAT) probe to the field mission. The broader impacts of the proposed activity emerge from the unique measurements and monitoring strategy of this project to develop a foundation for a national carbon monitoring network, which will be a key component of any program or international agreement to limit carbon emissions. The project will fill a technological void and deliver a system that is versatile by design, allowing for myriad future applications that are centered on specific carbon-related issues, such as sequestration and forest chemistry, as well as assessing the overall country-by-country inventory of carbon.
