Development and testing of UAV systems for measuring methane fluxes in landfills and greenhouse gas emissions

Summary:

This paper introduces a new sampling and measurement method that uses the sub-aeronautical system ( UAS) recorded carbon dioxide concentration and surrogate measurements of wind data to infer methane flux. The flux method described and tested here applies to the spatial scale of landfills and similar greenhouse gas emission hotspots, making it a low-cost and rapid case study to quantify the current but undetermined (but very important) greenhouse gas flux. Important new method source. We provide a case study using these UAS-based measurements to obtain instantaneous methane flux from a test landfill in northern England, using a mass balance model tailored for UAS sampling, and combining CO ₂ concentration emissions as a methane emission generation. Supplies. In the two tests November 27, 2014 and March 5, 2015 to carry out, the methane flux (flux and uncertainty) were 0.140 kg s ^{- 1} (when 1σ was ± 61%) and 0.050 Kg s ^{- 1} ( ±54% at 1σ). Environmental changes in background (inflow) concentration (> 40%) and wind speed (> 10%) dominate the uncertainty of the flow; the error rate caused by the instrument is only 1-2%. The described method represents an important advance in the challenging problem of greenhouse gas hot spot flux calculations and provides reproducibility for a variety of similar environments . This new measurement solution can add a methodology to better validate a specific source of greenhouse gas emissions inventory – an important new requirement for the UNFCCC COP21 (Paris) climate change agreement .

This paper describes the development of a new sampling and measurement method to infer methane flux using proxy measurements of CO 2 concentration and wind data recorded by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The flux method described and trialed here is appropriate to the spatial scale of landfill Sites and analogous greenhouse gas emission hotspots, making it an important new method for low-cost and rapid case study quantification of fluxes from currently uncertain (but highly important) greenhouse gas sources. We present a case study using these UAS-based measurements to derive Instantaneous methane fluxes from a test landfill site in the north of England using a mass balance model tailored for UAS sampling and co-emitted CO 2 concentration as a methane-emission proxy. Methane flux (and flux uncertainty) during two trials on 27 November 2014 And 5 March 2015, were found to be 0.140 kg s ?1 (±61% at 1 r ), and 0.050 kg s ?1 (±54% at 1 r ), respectively. Uncertainty contributing to the f Lux was dominated by ambient variability in the background (inflow) concentration (>40%) and wind speed (>10%); with instrumental error contributing only ?1–2%. The approach described represents an important advance concerning the challenging problem of Greenhouse gas hotspot flux calculation, and offers transferability to a wide range of analogous environments. This new measurement solution could add to a toolkit of approaches to better validate source-specific greenhouse emissions inventories – an important new requirement of the UNFCCC COP21 (Paris) climate Change agreement.