Methane distributions and transports in the nocturnal boundary layer at a rural station
Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/Report › Conference contribution › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
To investigate the methane distributions and transports, the role of related atmospheric processes by determination of vertical profiles of wind, turbulence, temperature and humidity as well as nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) height and the quantification of methane emissions at local and plot scale the so-called ScaleX-campaign was performed in a pre-alpine observatory in Southern Germany from 01 June until 31 July 2015. The following measurements from the ground up to the free troposphere were performed: layering of the atmosphere by a ceilometer (Vaisala CL51); temperature, wind, turbulence profiles from 50 m up to 500 m by a Radio-Acoustic Sounding System (RASS, Metek GmbH); temperature, humidity profiles in situ by a hexacopter; methane farm emissions by two open-path laser spectrometers (Boreal GasFinder2); methane concentrations in situ (Los Gatos DLT-100) with tubes in 0.3 m agl and 5 sampling heads; and methane soil emissions by a big chamber (10 m length, 2.60 m width, up to 0.61 m height) with a plastic cover. The methane concentrations near the surface show a daily variation with a maximum and a frequent double-peak structure during night-time. Analysis of the variation of the nocturnal methane concentration together with the hexacopter and RASS data indicates that the first peak in the nocturnal methane concentration is probably due to local cooling and stabilization which keeps the methane emissions from the soil near the ground. The second peak seems to be due to advection of methane-enriched air which had formed in the environment of the nearby farm yards. These dairy farm emissions were determined by up-wind and down-wind open-path concentration measurements, turbulence data from an EC station nearby and Backward Lagrangian Simulation (WindTrax software). The methane fluxes at plot scale (big chamber) are characterized by emissions at water saturated grassland patches, by an exponential decrease of these emissions during grassland drying, and by an uptake of methane at dry grassland. Highest methane concentrations are found with lowest NBL heights which were determined from the ceilometer monitoring (correlation coefficient 0.56).
Details
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere XXI |
Editors | Klaus Schafer, Adolfo Comeron, James W. Jack, Richard H. Picard, Konradin Weber, Evgueni I. Kassianov |
Publisher | SPIE - The international society for optics and photonics, Bellingham |
ISBN (electronic) | 9781510604063 |
Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Externally published | Yes |
Publication series
Series | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
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Volume | 10001 |
ISSN | 0277-786X |
Conference
Title | Remote Sensing of Clouds and the Atmosphere XXI |
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Duration | 28 - 29 September 2016 |
City | Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
External IDs
ORCID | /0000-0002-8789-163X/work/168718963 |
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Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- ceilometer, Greenhouse gases, methane fluxes, nocturnal boundary layer, RASS, remote sensing