University of Edinburgh's satellite CO2 project tackles global warming
Last updated 20/01/2009 14:20:15
University Edinburgh satellite CO2 project tackles global warming
Scientists will seek ways to curb global warming with the help of satellites that measure CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are to study data from the instruments, which are being launched by NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The satellites are known will for the first time give region-by-region accounts of Earth's carbon emissions and also highlight areas of the planet which are absorbing the most CO2.
They will provide fresh information on surface emissions and absorption of CO2 in remote regions such as the Amazon basin and African forests.
Currently, scientists are able to look at CO2 emissions from small areas, such as cities, or large areas, such as oceans.This technique will make regional data available for the first time, potentially helping to quantify the emission outputs of individual countries.
The data will allow scientists to pinpoint more accurately the worst-polluting regions on Earth. More importantly, they will identify more effectively those environmental conditions that encourage absorption of CO2, such as those found in forests and oceans.
Recreating these conditions naturally or artificially elsewhere on Earth could help to curb emissions to Earth's atmosphere. In the longer term, data from the satellites are hoped to contribute to the development of a better accounting system for carbon trading.
Lecturer Paul Palmer: " This development is unprecedented - the university expects to learn where and how much CO2 is released to the atmosphere and how much is absorbed by forests and oceans, and how it moves around in the atmosphere. All of this will help us look for ways of combating climate change on Earth."