Project description
Developing innovative methane emissions measurement tools
Significant discrepancies between official emission inventories and estimates obtained from direct air measurements hinder the attainment of the Paris Agreement goals. Methane (CH4), the second most significant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, is a crucial energy source in Europe and contributes significantly to global warming. The EU-funded MEMO2 project aims to bridge the gap between large-scale scientific estimates derived from in situ monitoring programmes and the bottom-up emissions estimates from local sources used in national reporting. The project will focus specifically on CH4 and the development of innovative tools and networks for mobile CH4 measurement. Additionally, it will carry out isotopic source identification and modelling at various scales, as well as train a new generation of scientists.
Objective
Mitigation of climate change is a key scientific and societal challenge and also a headline target of the EU2020 strategy. Strong reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary to reach the global warming target agreed on at the 2015 United Nations Convention of Parties in Paris. Such emission reductions can only be achieved if sources are properly quantified and mitigation efforts are verified, but there are large discrepancies between official emission inventories and estimates derived from direct measurement of the air.
MEMO2 will contribute to the EU2020 targets with a focus on methane (CH4), the second most important greenhouse gas after CO2 and one of Europe’s most important energy sources. CH4 emissions are a major contributor to Europe's global warming impact, but they are also a good target for climate change mitigation because of a rather short lifetime of 10 years (policy-maker compatible) and several sources offering possibilities of “no-regret” emission reduction (landfills, gas leaks, manure). However CH4 emissions are not well quantified yet.
MEMO2 will bridge the gap between large-scale scientific estimates from in situ monitoring programs and the 'bottom-up' estimates of emissions from local sources that are used in the national reporting. MEMO2 will identify and evaluate CH4 emissions and support mitigation measures by I) developing new and advanced mobile methane measurements tools and networks, isotopic source identification, and modelling at different scales, and II) educating a new generation of “cross–thinking” scientists, which are able to effectively implement novel measurement and modelling tools in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral context.
The 9 beneficiaries and 13 non-academic partners of MEMO2 offer a well–structured intersectoral training programme to equip young researchers with strong scientific and personal competencies, which will enhance their employability as well as European innovation capacity in the future.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsfluid dynamics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencescomets
- natural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compounds
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processes
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-ITN-ETN - European Training NetworksCoordinator
3584 CS Utrecht
Netherlands
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Participants (8)
9712CP Groningen
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6708 PB Wageningen
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78035 VERSAILLES
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8600 Dubendorf
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TW20 0EX Egham
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69117 Heidelberg
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30-059 Krakow
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22100 Lund
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Partners (13)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
2595 DA Den Haag
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
TW11 0LW Middlesex
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1755 LE Petten
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
00975 Warszawa
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
2596 HR DEN HAAG
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
06844 Dessau-Rosslau
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
1245 Collonge Bellerive
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
GOOR
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
ASSENDELFT
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
EX2 7HR Exeter
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
21125 Malmö
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
DELFT
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.