Estimating regional methane surface fluxes: the relative importance of surface and GOSAT mole fraction measurements
-
Published:2013-06-13
Issue:11
Volume:13
Page:5697-5713
-
ISSN:1680-7324
-
Container-title:Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
-
language:en
-
Short-container-title:Atmos. Chem. Phys.
Author:
Fraser A., Palmer P. I.ORCID, Feng L., Boesch H., Cogan A., Parker R., Dlugokencky E. J., Fraser P. J., Krummel P. B.ORCID, Langenfelds R. L., O'Doherty S., Prinn R. G., Steele L. P., van der Schoot M., Weiss R. F.ORCID
Abstract
Abstract. We use an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), together with the GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model, to estimate regional monthly methane (CH4) fluxes for the period June 2009–December 2010 using proxy dry-air column-averaged mole fractions of methane (XCH4) from GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite) and/or NOAA ESRL (Earth System Research Laboratory) and CSIRO GASLAB (Global Atmospheric Sampling Laboratory) CH4 surface mole fraction measurements. Global posterior estimates using GOSAT and/or surface measurements are between 510–516 Tg yr−1, which is less than, though within the uncertainty of, the prior global flux of 529 ± 25 Tg yr−1. We find larger differences between regional prior and posterior fluxes, with the largest changes in monthly emissions (75 Tg yr−1) occurring in Temperate Eurasia. In non-boreal regions the error reductions for inversions using the GOSAT data are at least three times larger (up to 45%) than if only surface data are assimilated, a reflection of the greater spatial coverage of GOSAT, with the two exceptions of latitudes >60° associated with a data filter and over Europe where the surface network adequately describes fluxes on our model spatial and temporal grid. We use CarbonTracker and GEOS-Chem XCO2 model output to investigate model error on quantifying proxy GOSAT XCH4 (involving model XCO2) and inferring methane flux estimates from surface mole fraction data and show similar resulting fluxes, with differences reflecting initial differences in the proxy value. Using a series of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) we characterize the posterior flux error introduced by non-uniform atmospheric sampling by GOSAT. We show that clear-sky measurements can theoretically reproduce fluxes within 10% of true values, with the exception of tropical regions where, due to a large seasonal cycle in the number of measurements because of clouds and aerosols, fluxes are within 15% of true fluxes. We evaluate our posterior methane fluxes by incorporating them into GEOS-Chem and sampling the model at the location and time of surface CH4 measurements from the AGAGE (Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment) network and column XCH4 measurements from TCCON (Total Carbon Column Observing Network). The posterior fluxes modestly improve the model agreement with AGAGE and TCCON data relative to prior fluxes, with the correlation coefficients (r2) increasing by a mean of 0.04 (range: −0.17 to 0.23) and the biases decreasing by a mean of 0.4 ppb (range: −8.9 to 8.4 ppb).
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Atmospheric Science
Reference41 articles.
1. Bergamaschi, P., Frankenberg, C., Meirink, J. F., Krol, M., Villani, M. G., Houweling, S., Dentener, F., Dlugokencky, E. J., Miller, J. B., Gatti, L. V., Engel, A., and Levin, I.: Inverse modeling of global and regional CH}4 emissions using {SCIAMACHY satellite retrievals, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D22301, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD012287, 2009. 2. Bloom, A. A., Palmer, P. I., Fraser, A., and Reay, D. S.: Seasonal variability of tropical wetland CH4 emissions: the role of the methanogen-available carbon pool, Biogeosciences, 9, 2821–2830, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-2821-2012, 2012. 3. Boesch, H., Toon, G. C., Sen, B., Washenfelder, R. A., Wennberg, P. O., Buchwitz, M., de Beek, R., Burrows, J. P., Crisp, D., Christi, M., Connor, B. J., Natraj, V., and Yung, Y. L.: Space-based near-infrared CO2 measurements: Testing the Orbiting Carbon Observatory retrieval algorithm and validation concept using SCIAMACHY observations over Park Falls, Wisconsin, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D23302, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JD007080, 2006. 4. Boesch, H., Baker, D., Connor, B., Crisp, D., and Miller, C.: Global characterization of CO2 column retrievals from shortwave-infrared satellite observations of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 mission, Remote Sens., 3, 270–304, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs3020270, 2011. 5. Bousquet, P., Cialis, P., Miller, J. B., Dlugokencky, E. J., Hauglustaine, D. A., Prigent, C., van der Werf, G. R., Peylin, P., Brunke, E.-G., Carouge, C., Langenfelds, R. L., Lathière, J., Papa, F., Ramonet, M., Schmidt, M., Steele, L. P., Tyler, S. C., and White, J.: Contribution of anthropogenic and natural sources to atmospheric methane variability, Nature, 443, 439–443, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05132, 2006.
Cited by
82 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献
|
|