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Emissions monitoring is a really interesting technology challenge. So much of it is self-reported, which means a crapshoot. Remote monitoring seems more reliabl

by tito 7y ago

Emissions monitoring is a really interesting technology challenge. So much of it is self-reported, which means a crapshoot. Remote monitoring seems more reliable but less accurate perhaps. The highest resolution monitoring tech I know of is NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory2. Has anyone here studied the Orbiting Carbon Observatory? I'm curious for more details and how it might help here. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/oco2/index.html https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/oco2/index.html

tito 7y ago
In a similar vein, Planet Labs' satellites can count Earth's trees every day. Monitoring methane and carbon dioxide is a different beast, but still, remote monitoring FTW. https://www.planet.com/pulse/developing-the-worlds-first-indicator-of-forest-carbon-stocks-emissions/ https://www.planet.com/pulse/developing-the-worlds-first-ind...
adammunich 7y ago
I've been working on a project lately to explore geenhouse gas cameras. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-a-co2-video-camera https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-a-co2-video-camera I have hope that the thermopile array tech we've been seeing lately might make gas monitoring more readily available. It likely will still require cryo-cooling though.
- Nouser76 7y ago
  Really interesting idea! I'm not very knowledgeable around greenhouse gases, and even less around the various industrial processes that release them. Would cameras like this be able to give us the amount of CO2 released in say, metric tons? Or would it be too hard to actually get precise measurements and this is better for comparing orders of magnitude?
- rosege 7y ago
  Have you seen this new satellite that will be going up https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49799760 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49799760
mturmon 7y ago
See the comments at: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21183793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21183793, they address your question about satellite monitoring of CH4. The OCO-2 spectral bands were chosen for H2O and for CO2. I don’t think they provide methane information. A successor mission concept, GeoCARB, can get methane as well: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/geocarb-a-new-view-of-carbon-over-the-americas https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/geocarb-a-new-view-of-carbo... Meanwhile, there are in situ methane monitors, and in some areas, spectroscopic observations (ground based) that allow methane source localization. For very new results for the LA area, see: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JD030062 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018..., pdf at https://authors.library.caltech.edu/96023/1/2018JD030062.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/96023/1/2018JD030062.pdf It is a very cool science/technical problem, with high potential payoff for identifying big sources.

by tito 7y ago

tito 7y ago

In a similar vein, Planet Labs' satellites can count Earth's trees every day. Monitoring methane and carbon dioxide is a different beast, but still, remote monitoring FTW. https://www.planet.com/pulse/developing-the-worlds-first-indicator-of-forest-carbon-stocks-emissions/ https://www.planet.com/pulse/developing-the-worlds-first-ind...

adammunich 7y ago

I've been working on a project lately to explore geenhouse gas cameras. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-a-co2-video-camera https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-a-co2-video-camera I have hope that the thermopile array tech we've been seeing lately might make gas monitoring more readily available. It likely will still require cryo-cooling though.

Nouser76 7y ago
Really interesting idea! I'm not very knowledgeable around greenhouse gases, and even less around the various industrial processes that release them. Would cameras like this be able to give us the amount of CO2 released in say, metric tons? Or would it be too hard to actually get precise measurements and this is better for comparing orders of magnitude?
rosege 7y ago
Have you seen this new satellite that will be going up https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49799760 https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49799760

mturmon 7y ago

See the comments at: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21183793 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21183793, they address your question about satellite monitoring of CH4. The OCO-2 spectral bands were chosen for H2O and for CO2. I don’t think they provide methane information. A successor mission concept, GeoCARB, can get methane as well: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/geocarb-a-new-view-of-carbon-over-the-americas https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/geocarb-a-new-view-of-carbo... Meanwhile, there are in situ methane monitors, and in some areas, spectroscopic observations (ground based) that allow methane source localization. For very new results for the LA area, see: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JD030062 https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018..., pdf at https://authors.library.caltech.edu/96023/1/2018JD030062.pdf https://authors.library.caltech.edu/96023/1/2018JD030062.pdf It is a very cool science/technical problem, with high potential payoff for identifying big sources.