Introduction    •    Objectives    •    Research Questions    •    Methodology

The objectives of the proposed research activities are:


  1. •To develop the elements of an advanced GHG information system, - consisting of on one hand a complementary set of surface, tower based, airborne and remote sensing monitoring systems, and on the other hand a complementary suite of forward and inverse, lagrangian and eulerian 3D models

  2. •To quantify the magnitude, trends and associated uncertainties of the biogenic and anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric budgets at spatial resolutions of roughly 50 km (implying grid sizes of 10 km and less) for a domain of 400 x 400 km, and at temporal resolutions of 1 month for at least a single full year (model time steps are much shorter of course), making use of all constraints imposed by the respective elements of the GHG information system

  3. •To develop a protocol to provide an independent reference estimate for the verification of national emissions, that allows determination of the accuracy and some of the uncertainties of the emissions reported by the parties in the UNFCCC and Kyoto framework, through critical evaluation of all elements making up the information system and of all necessary steps involved in reaching GHG estimates.


Therefore a research plan is proposed consisting of five complementary work packages, the objectives of which comprise the following:


  1. 1.To develop for this particular spatial scale a cost-efficient observation network and sampling protocol to quantify, continuously in time and space, the sources and sinks of GHG's and aerosols. Use will be made of:

  2. •Continuous ground based remote sensing measurements of atmospheric column properties

  3. •An observation network monitoring PBL height dynamics and its primary driver (sensible heat flux) combining ceilometers and scintillometers

  4. •Satellite based GHG mapping

  5. •Continuous tall-tower atmospheric concentration monitoring

  6. •Repetitive airborne flux measurements

  1. 2.To produce unique data-sets needed for development of the above, consisting of:

  2. •Continuous time series of PBL height at multiple sites in The Netherlands

  3. •Continuous, high precision time series of GHG concentrations and supplementary tracers at multiple levels and at two sites in The Netherlands

  4. •Daily estimates of source area for tower observations, based on back-trajectories

  5. •Systematic airborne flux and concentration transects, sampling the full seasonal cycle and major landscapes in The Netherlands

  6. •Flux maps, continuous in space and time, for inversion estimates

  7. •Problem oriented data-sets for PBL studies, for specific areas and for specific seasonal phases.


  1. 3.To further the development of 3D transport models, improved with respect to:

  2. •Vertical mixing through implementation of state-of-the-art PBL parameterizations, including entrainment and if needed GHG-specific flux/profile relations

  3. •GHG nudging algorithms i.e. offline coupling between complementary models

  4. •Improved bottom-boundary conditions (LSMs, otherwise prescribed fluxes)

  5. •Additional GHG species transport: CH4, N2O, isotopes, CO.


  1. 4.To develop inversion algorithms, based on eularian and lagrangian concepts, improved with respect to:

  2. •Input flexibility: allowing the use of concentration flux data that are (relatively) irregularly distributed in space and time

  3. •An assessment of uncertainties as can be attributed to a) variation between transport models and b) variation between inversion algorithms

  4. •The use of high-frequency variation in the concentration time series (increased resolution in time and space)


  6. 5.To make a first attempt ever at independently verifying Dutch national emissions, as reported in the UNFCCC-NIR, for one particular year

  7. 6.To outline a verification protocol based on the experiences in these.

A complete PDF-version of the project proposal (excl. Work Package Six) can be downloaded here.