instrument that provided daily Google Earth-based visualisations of CO2

and CH4 measurements as they drove through the city centre during
morning rush hour.
Live demonstrations were organised aboard the bus with more than 50
attendees from 32 worldwide organisations universities, NGOs, space
agencies, ministries of environment and MPs, says Donadini. Considering
the positive feedback we received about the added value of this solution, we
decided to continue and finalise the development of the service.

IN THE RIGHT

MEASURE

A shift in protocol
What we learned from this demonstration will enable us to run the kind
of meaningful service that Airbus DS is looking to set up, says David
Butterfield of the NPL. The ultimate objective of the EMS project is to provide
international organisations, governments, regions, cities or large emitters with
independent measurements of their emissions to complement the inventories
theyre required to make by the Kyoto Protocol or local Climate Action Plans.
Whats unique about this technology is that it is provided as an end-to-end
service and complements the way emissions inventories are currently done.
Industrialised countries are required to compile a national inventory of
GHGs in order to assess their progress towards reducing emissions. But
the present inventory method doesnt represent the true level of GHG
concentrations. Governments are tied to doing the emissions inventories
from the bottom upwards, says Butterfield. They count the number of
power stations they have, only measure emissions from a few, and assume
theyre all similar. Its a paper-based way of calculating emissions instead of
making real measurements.
When the EMS project kicked off in 2011, Donadini analysed the structure
of the carbon market and identified gaps and improvement opportunities. We
came up with this concept of a measurement network combined with cuttingedge modelling, she says. The resulting top-down EMS methodology uses
inverse modelling which allows the user to go back in space and time to
target the sources of the emissions. Following the London pilot, weve been
awarded the Carbocount-City project led by the LSCE and co-funded by the
Climate-KIC [Europes largest public-private partnership focused on climate
change], to set up demonstrators in Paris and Rotterdam, says Donadini.
Our experience from the city-level testing is informing our models for largescale coverage on the national and global levels.
In order to deliver the same service currently available in cities to large
countries such as Brazil or China or India, we would use more satellites than
ground stations, Donadini adds. One satellite can replace dozens of stations
on the ground. For developing countries with no inventories yet, the service
can be used to get robust data and anticipate future international legislation
such as the one expected during the 2015 United Nations Conference of
Parties, where the worlds countries will ratify a universal climate agreement.

The impact of greenhouse gasses may not be as obvious

as spotting garbage floating in the ocean, but air pollution
and the gradual warming of the Earth take their toll over
time. With projects in London, Belfast, Paris and Rotterdam,
Airbus Defence and Spaces emissions monitoring service is
complementing current theoretical inventories, and could
become a valuable tool for governments to better prioritise
their emission mitigation efforts in the long term.

Katia Cardon

The future is now

Airbus Defence and Space

The 2012 London Olympics were billed as the greenest Games, employing
renewable energy sources, enhancing urban green spaces and using recyclable
building materials. With the worlds attention on the citys efforts, it
made sense to pilot test the Airbus Defence and Space Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Monitoring Service (EMS) in parallel. We took the opportunity
to showcase our service as London demonstrated the British commitment
to sustainability, says Christle Donadini, Innovation Manager at Airbus
Defence and Space (Airbus DS).
The greenhouse effect occurs when specific gasses in the atmosphere absorb
the planets natural radiation and then reflect it in all directions including
back down to the surface. Being able to accurately measure carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrous oxide (N2O),
among others, and to pinpoint the sources of these greenhouse gasses (GHG),
will enable governments to better prioritise their efforts in reducing their
GHG output. A significant proportion of our research budgets is devoted
to the development of innovative environmental technologies and services
such as the EMS project. Furthermore, Airbus DS has developed satellite
information services offering insights into the causes and effects of climate
change, measuring deforestation and thickness of ice caps, says Andrea
Debbane, Vice President Corporate Environmental Affairs at Airbus Group.
Using a network of ground, airborne and space-based sensors, Airbus DS
in partnership with the UKs National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the National
Centre for Earth Observation and the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et
de lEnvironnement (LSCE) measured greenhouse gas concentrations and
translated them into levels of fluxes (i.e. the change in concentration over
time per surface) using geophysical computer models. Over a sustained period
of time, these kinds of continual, wide-ranging measurements would be able
to provide London with a more precise and up-to-date picture of its emissions.
During the five-month testing period, the project team deployed a
network of four sensors on the ground, which continuously measured CO2,
CH4 and CO concentrations. They also performed four aircraft campaigns to
complement the ground network and tasked the Japanese GOSAT satellite
up- and downwind of London. Finally, the team outfitted a bus with an

Thinkstock

UP No 9 GameChangers

22

CarbonSat (left) is an ESA mission

in its Earth Explorers programme,
addressing key climate and environmental change issues. Above:
snapshot of Airbus DS greenhouse
gas emissions visualisation tool.

When asked if governments will be keen to adopt this new technology,

Butterfield is positive. I think people are getting used to making the real
measurements, because there will be a discrepancy between the theoretical
emissions and the real emissions and that could be tens of percent, not
a few percent. Donadini says Airbus DS regularly seeks feedback from
potential users and customers such as the UN. This kind of regular contact
has helped generate awareness, and the EMS project has just been selected
to feature on the UN Global Compact Climate & Energy Hub.
Donadini also anticipates an upcoming partnership in the UK as Airbus
DS and the NPL continue their work in Belfast. When weve got a years
worth of data, we can do a proper assessment, adds Butterfield. Were
doing the measurements there because theres a real need for and lack of
understanding of what the concentrations and the emissions are in that
area for the UK. When we can assess that, we can help round out the
national picture.
Jessica Holl