Projektbeschreibung
Die Auswirkungen tektonischer CO2-Emissionen messen und verstehen
Bei Klimaveränderungen und Variationen des paläoatmosphärischen CO2 in der Vergangenheit spielten geologische Prozesse eine wichtige Rolle. Tiefe CO2-Reservoirs können in der verkrümmten Lithosphäre an Kontinentalverwerfungen aktiviert werden, was zu erheblichen CO2-Emissionen führt. Die Forschung zu vergangenen klimatischen Auswirkungen und Entgasung wurde bisher jedoch durch mangelhafte Messverfahren, Technologien und Rahmenbedingungen erschwert. Über das EU-finanzierte Projekt EMERGE sollen innovative Lösungen für diese Herausforderungen entwickelt werden. Dazu gehören Flugdrohnen zur Erfassung der CO2-Ströme, numerische Modellierungsverfahren, um die geodynamische Regulierung des CO2-Transports in der Lithosphäre zu analysieren, und die Untersuchung und Integration von Daten zu vergangenen Verwerfungen und tektonischer Entgasung.
Ziel
Geological processes governed paleo-atmospheric CO2 variations and exerted major control on past climate change beyond the million-year time scale. Vast deep carbon reservoirs are known to be activated at continental rifts, where the faulted lithosphere provides CO2 pathways and where recent surveys detected massive CO2 emissions. However, progress in quantifying natural CO2 degassing and its impact on past climate is impeded for 3 reasons: (1) current CO2 flux measurement techniques require labourintensive field surveys that can cover only small areas; (2) a consistent framework uniting geodynamic processes and CO2 transport to the surface is missing; (3) past CO2 flux from rifts is difficult to quantify because compilations do not account for geodynamic characteristics.
EMERGE will enter uncharted territory by linking 3 innovative approaches. The project will: (1) advance airborne CO2 flux measurements via drones. Focusing on rifts in Kenya, Ethiopia, Czech Republic and Iceland, we will measure for the first time tectonic CO2 flux distributions of entire regions allowing unprecedented insight into subsurface CO2 pathways; (2) characterise geodynamic controls on lithospheric CO2 transport via novel numerical modelling techniques; and (3) integrate data of all known rifts since 540 million years ago to understand the role of tectonic degassing in shaping Earth’s climate through time.
Zooming in on the geosphere-atmosphere interface, this project integrates interdisciplinary ideas and methods from geodynamics, micrometeorology, petrology, and paleoclimatology. EMERGE may generate broad impact on scientific and societal level: dronebased CO2 flux measurements will be a game changer in understanding tectonic CO2 release at rifts and other plate boundaries worldwide. The methodological and scientific advances may be essential for establishing a solid baseline of tectonic CO2 emissions to accurately quantify controls on past and future climate change.
Wissenschaftliches Gebiet
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencespalaeontologypaleoclimatology
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdrones
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeologypetrology
- social sciencespolitical sciencesgovernment systems
Schlüsselbegriffe
Programm/Programme
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Thema/Themen
Finanzierungsplan
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsGastgebende Einrichtung
14473 POTSDAM
Deutschland