Spokesperson: Dr Patrick Jöckel
The long-lived greenhouse gas methane (CH4) plays an important role for our climate. A crucial point with respect to CH4 are the not fully understood changes in the growth rate during the recent decades. The Matrixgroup “Methane” facilitates networking between different research activities of the institute, addressing the following research questions:
We seek synergies between the following methodical approaches:
The IPA research on methane is anchored in the research program “Aeronautics” of the DLR strategy 2030, in which a particular focus is on research for the significant reduction of global warming below 2°, and on the corresponding characterization of greenhouse gas emissions. This includes notably the preparation of the German-French satellite mission MERLIN with the help of CHARM-F and in-situ measurements, as well as the numerical simulation of processes of the atmosphere. Moreover, this research contributes to the validation of current (Sentinel-5P, GOSAT) and planned satellite missions (GOSAT-2, MERLIN, Sentinel-5, CO2M). The Matrixgroup “Methane” accompanies with the help of the above mentioned spectrum of methodologies jointly various national and international projects and measurement campaigns
View into the DLR Cessna Caravan targeting on the quantification of methane emissions with CHARM-F and in-situ methods in the Upper Silesian coal mining region during the CoMet mission (Photo: ©DLR).
Numerical forecast of the methane plume dispersion in the Upper Silesian coal mining area for June 1, 2018 in preparation of the research aircraft flight planning of the CoMet mission. The left figure shows the methane contribution from the coal mine ventilation shafts, the right figure shows the total methane. Units are 10-9 mol/mol (Graphics: ©DLR).