Seminar: Abdullah Bolek

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) are emerging as complementary monitoring tools in atmospheric and climate science, as they are versatile, relatively low cost to operate, and can provide data at various spatial scales. However, UAV-based methodologies and associated instruments are still in their early stages and require extensive efforts to fully exploit the potential of UAVs. Accurate quantification of emission rates from point or localized sources, such as geologic seeps or oil and gas production sites, is important for understanding emission processes and mitigating climate change, yet conventional GHG monitoring platforms (e.g. flux chambers, eddy covariance towers) often lack spatial coverage needed to accurately estimate the emission rates from point or localized sources. In this study, two UAV platforms with different sensing instruments were employed to estimate the total emission of a known geological methane seep located in the Mackenzie river delta, Canada. Using the flight data, the emission rate of the methane seep was quantified using two different methods: mass-balance and Gaussian plume inversion. The results showed that UAV-based sampling can close key spatial gaps in GHG monitoring and underscoring the significant potential impact of the geological seeps on the overall Arctic carbon budget.