CoMet 4.0 VALISE
Several satellites for measuring greenhouse gases will be launched in Europe next year. One of the most prominent will be MERLIN , the Franco-German climate mission scheduled for launch in 2029. MERLIN will use lidar to measure methane in the atmosphere for the first time. A validation mission is therefore required after the launch and commissioning phase. The COPERNICUS extension mission CO2M will also be operational at this time. Cal/Val activities are therefore necessary to support the scientific objectives of this mission, i.e. to implement and monitor the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Global Methane Pledge and to contribute to the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W) initiative of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). For both satellite instruments, airborne demonstrators are part of the unique CoMet payload. This mission is therefore the next in the CoMet series of HALO missions.
The favoured region is Europe, including long transects from North Africa or the Middle East to northern Scandinavia. Typical flight profiles similar to past CoMet campaigns are planned: long-range flights to record greenhouse gas gradients, profiles at specific locations, precise overflights of hot spots such as urban areas, power plants, ground observation stations, landfills and others.
In addition to validation, the scientific objectives of the campaign focus on the quantification of anthropogenic emissions from urban and industrial agglomerations such as the Po Valley, the Upper Silesian coal basin, Berlin, Paris, Rome and others. By quantifying the sources in Central Europe, CoMet 4.0 will also support the Integrated Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System for Germany (ITMS).
The preferred target region is Europe, including long transects from North Africa or the Middle East to northern Scandinavia. Typical flight profiles similar to past CoMet campaigns are envisaged: long-haul flights to record greenhouse gas gradients, measurement of vertical greenhouse gas profiles at specific locations, precise overflights of hot spots such as urban regions, power plants, ground monitoring stations or landfill sites and others.
The planned payload on HALO will also be based on previous CoMet campaigns.
Further links
- MERLIN - Methane Remote Sensing Lidar Mission, french- german satellite mission
- CO2M - Copernicus Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring, Satellitenmission of Copernicus in Germany
- IMEO - International Emissions Observatory, UN Environment Programme
- ITMS - Integrierte Treibhausgas-Überwachungssystem for Germany