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Making our emissions more visible |
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While the European Space Agency has produced the first films showing global distribution of greenhouse gases, a new sensor released in the UK will monitor more accurately car emissions. These new technologies will help reduce man-made global warming.
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2007-03-29
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Visualizing emissions worldwide ...
Scientists have produced the first films showing the global distribution of the most important greenhouse gases (GHG) - carbon dioxide and methane - in the atmosphere. The maps are based on three years of observations by SCIAMACHY (Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography), the first ever space sensor capable of measuring GHG directly down to the earth's surface.
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Given that the new system is able to distinguish between man-made and natural CO2 emissions, it will serve as a valuable tool for governments to track progress in achieving emission reductions targets.
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The scientists from the Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, will provide data from SCIAMACHY to a common server used to deliver policy-relevant services on atmospheric issues to end-users. The feedback from users of this system will further improve the animations' accuracy.
... and those from your car
A UK-based automotive software developer has introduced a new system that calculates and reports the levels of emissions from a moving vehicle more accurately than current ones. Rather than directly measuring the gases in the exhaust pipe, a sensor uses signals obtained from the vehicle's On-Board Diagnostic system to derive the emissions' characteristics.
The new system will enable carmakers to monitor the exact fuel economy of their vehicles at any time, thus helping to reduce GHG emissions due to inefficient technologies. The developing company hopes to increase the accuracy of emissions reporting that serves as a basis for the industry to comply with more stringent emission limits worldwide.
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More information:
› ESA Greenhouse Gas Animations
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