Methane Emission Reduction: An Application of FUND

Methane is, after carbon dioxide, the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas. Governments plan to abate methane emissions. A crude set of estimates of reduction costs is included in FUND, an integratedassessment model of climate change. In a cost-benefit analysis, methane emission reduction is found to be instrumental in controlling the optimal rate of climate change. In a cost-effectiveness analysis, methane emission reduction largely replaces carbon dioxide emission reduction. Methane emission reduction reinforces the case for international cooperation in climate policy, but complicates the efficient allocation of emission reduction efforts. Methane emission reduction at the short run does not help to achieve the ultimate objective of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.     

Oceanic transport and storage of carbon emissions

Using a global carbon cycle model (GLOCO) that considers seven terrestrial biomes, surface and deep ocean layers based on the HILDA model and a single mixed atmosphere, we analyzed the response of atmospheric CO₂ concentration and oceanic DIC and DOC depth profiles to additions of carbon to the atmosphere and ocean. The rate of transport of carbon to the deepest oceanic layers is rather insensitive to the atmosphereic-ocean surface gas exchange coefficient over a wide range, hence discrepancies between researchers on the precise global average value of this coefficient do not significantly affect predictions of atmospheric response to anthropogenic inputs. Upwelling velocity, on the other hand, amplifies oceanic response by increasing primary production in the upper ocean layers, resulting in a larger flux into DOC and sediments and increased carbon storage; experiments to reduce the uncertainty in this parameter would be valuable.The location of the carbon addition, whether it is released in the atmosphere or in the middle of the oceanic thermocline, has a significant impact on the maximum atmospheric CO₂ concentration (pCO₂) subsequently reached, suggesting that oceanic burial of a significant fraction of carbon emissions (e.g. via clathrate hydrides) may be an important management option for limiting pCO₂ buildup. Our analysis indicates that the effectiveness of ocean burial decreases asymptotically below about 1000 m depth. With a constant emissions scenario (at 1990 levels), pCO₂ at year 2100 is reduced from 501 ppmv considering all emissions go to the atmosphere, to 422 ppmv with ocean burial at a depth of 1000 m of 50% of the fossil fuel emissions. An alternative scenario looks at stabilizing pCO₂ at 450 ppmv; with no ocean burial of fossil fuel emissions, the rate of emissions has to be cut drastically after the year 2010, whereas oceanic burial of 2 GtC/yr allows for a smoother transition to alternative energy sources.     

The European and global potential of carbon dioxide sequestration in tackling climate change

Although, it has received relatively little attention as a potential method of combating climate change in comparison to energy reduction measures and development of carbon-free energy technologies, sequestration of carbon dioxide in geologic or biospheric sinks has enormous potential. This paper reviews the potential for sequestration using geological and ocean storage as a means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.Considerable quantities of carbon dioxide separated from natural gas deposits and from hydrogen production from steam reforming of methane are already used in enhanced oil recovery and in extraction of coalbed methane, the carbon dioxide remaining sequestered at the end of the process. A number of barriers lie in the way of its implementation on a large scale. There are concerns about possible environmental effects of large-scale injection of carbon dioxide especially into the oceans. Available technologies, especially of separating and capturing the carbon dioxide from waste stream, have high costs at present, perhaps representing an additional 40–100% onto the costs of generating electricity. In most of the world there are no mechanisms to encourage firms to consider sequestration.Considerable R&D is required to bring down the costs of the process, to elucidate the environmental effects of storage and to ensure that carbon dioxide will not escape from stores in unacceptably short timescales. However, the potential of sequestration should not be underestimated as a contribution to global climate change mitigation measures.     

Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations

We evaluate the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas obtained by high-volume hydraulic fracturing from shale formations, focusing on methane emissions. Natural gas is composed largely of methane, and 3.6% to 7.9% of the methane from shale-gas production escapes to the atmosphere in venting and leaks over the life-time of a well. These methane emissions are at least 30% more than and perhaps more than twice as great as those from conventional gas. The higher emissions from shale gas occur at the time wells are hydraulically fractured—as methane escapes from flow-back return fluids—and during drill out following the fracturing. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential that is far greater than that of carbon dioxide, particularly over the time horizon of the first few decades following emission. Methane contributes substantially to the greenhouse gas footprint of shale gas on shorter time scales, dominating it on a 20-year time horizon. The footprint for shale gas is greater than that for conventional gas or oil when viewed on any time horizon, but particularly so over 20 years. Compared to coal, the footprint of shale gas is at least 20% greater and perhaps more than twice as great on the 20-year horizon and is comparable when compared over 100 years.     

Carbon dioxide and methane in the Arctic atmosphere

Fifty flask air samples were taken during April 1986 from a NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft which flew missions across a broad region of the Arctic as part of the second Arctic Gas and Aerosol Sampling Program (AGASP II). The samples were subsequently analyzed for both carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄). The samples were taken in well-defined layers of Arctic haze, in the background troposphere where no haze was detected, and from near the surface to the lower stratosphere. Vertical profiles were specifically measured in the vicinity of Barrow, Alaska to enable comparisons with routine surface measurements made at the NOAA/GMCC observatory. Elevated levels of both methane and carbon dioxide were found in haze layers. For samples taken in the background troposphere we found negative vertical gradients (lower concentrations aloft) for both gases. For the entire data set (including samples collected in the haze layers) we found a strong positive correlation between the methane and carbon dioxide concentrations, with a linear regression slope of 17.5 ppb CH₄/ppm CO₂, a standard error of 0.6, and a correlation coefficient (r²) of 0.95. This correlation between the two gases seen in the aircraft samples was corroborated by in situ surface measurements of these gases made at the Barrow observatory during March and April 1986. We also find a similar relationship between methane and carbon dioxide measured concurrenty for a short period in the moderately polluted urban atmosphere of Boulder, Colorado. We suggest that the strong correlation between methane and carbon dioxide concentrations reflects a common source region for both, with subsequent long-range transport of the polluted air to the Arctic.     

Interannual variation of atmospheric CO2 concentration

A method is described for the analysis of the interannual variability of background atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. The analysis is carried out on the data from 6 observatories for which records of >8 years were available.A global-scale interannual variation of CO₂ concentration in the troposphere with a characteristic time-scale of 2–3 years has been confirmed throughout the period of the records. These variations are estimated to be associated with carbon cycle imbalances of 2–3 Gt or annual net exchanges between the atmosphere and another carbon reservoir(s) at a rate of about 1.2 Gt of carbon per year. Lag correlations and amplitude comparisons between the records suggests a low latitude southern hemisphere origin to this phenomenon.The interannual variations of CO₂ increase are found to be correlated with those observed in data for Pacific sea surface temperatures and Pacific witd stress, the Southern Oscillation Index and the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. However multiple regression studies found that once the Southern Oscillation index is used as an explanatory variable for CO₂ variations, the inclusion of additional geophysical variables does not give any significant improvement in the regression.     

北京大气中主要温室气体近10年变化趋势

对1993～2002年10年间北京市大气中三种主要温室气体的监测数据进行分析,研究二氧化碳、甲烷和氧化亚氮这三种温室气体浓度的变化趋势,并初步探讨了造成这种变化的原因.分析结果表明:北京市大气二氧化碳浓度总体是上升趋势,且后5年增长较快;大气甲烷浓度前5年缓慢上升,后5年转为下降,总体已是下降趋势;与大气二氧化碳变化趋势相似,大气氧化亚氮总体也是上升趋势,后5年增长较快.     

印度洋二维碳循环模式中表层CO2分压分布对物理和生化过程的敏感性试验

利用二维印度洋碳循环模式的模拟结果,集中对表层海洋中的CO2分压分布及其控制因子、海洋生物对海气CO2交换的影响、海洋营养物含量的改变和海洋环流的改变对大气CO2浓度的影响等进行了深入的分析和讨论,并与实际的GEOSECS观测数据的分析结果做比较;研究了与表层海洋CO2分压相关的海洋条件,较详细讨论了形成海洋表层CO2源与汇系统的决定因素及其相对重要性,得到了海洋热力因子和海洋环流对海洋表层的CO2化学过程起着决定性作用而生物过程仅处于次要地位的重要结论。此外,还利用建立的海洋碳模式进行了一些有意义的数值试验,详细讨论了海洋的物理化学因子改变对大气CO2浓度的可能影响。       

The Climate Change Benefits of Reducing Methane Emissions

The PAGE95 integrated assessment model is used to calculate the marginal benefit of immediate cutbacks in methane emissions, and compare them with the benefits of carbon dioxide reductions and the costs of methane reduction measures. The main result is that immediate cutbacks of methane bring a marginal benefit of between $30 and $260 per tonne, with a mean value of $110 per tonne. This compares to a benefit of between $10 and $50 per tonne of carbon, with a mean value of $20, for immediate cutbacks of carbon dioxide (all values in 1990 dollars). A sectoral and regional breakdown finds that two-thirds of the benefit is non-economic and only about 5% of the benefit occurs in the European Union (EU) and 8% in the USA; the vast majority of the benefit is felt in other regions, particularly in the developing world. Analysis up to 2200 shows the benefit continuing throughout the next century, peaking after 2050, even though methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade. This is because the surface-troposphere system typically takes decades to regain equilibrium, owing principally to the thermal inertia of the oceans. Exploring a range of alternative assumptions shows that the benefit from methane reduction is most sensitive to the discount rate. Using a pure time preference rate of 2% per yr instead of 3% per yr, almost doubles the mean benefit to $190 per tonne; a rate of 1% per yr doubles the mean benefit again to $380 per tonne.     

Negligible Warming Caused by Nord Stream Methane Leaks

Unanticipated sabotage of two underwater pipelines in the Baltic Sea(Nord Stream 1 and 2) happened on 26September 2022. Massive quantities of natural gas, primarily methane, were released into the atmosphere, which lasted for about one week. As a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO₂, the potential climatic impact of methane is a global concern.Using multiple methods and datasets, a recent study reported a relatively accurate magnitude of the leaked methane at 0.22 ±0.03 million tons(...     

The millennial atmospheric lifetime of anthropogenic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The notion is pervasive in the climate science community and in the public at large that the climate impacts of fossil fuel CO₂ release will only persist for a few centuries. This conclusion has no basis in theory or models of the atmosphere/ocean carbon cycle, which we review here. The largest fraction of the CO₂ recovery will take place on time scales of centuries, as CO₂ invades the ocean, but a significant fraction of the fossil fuel CO₂, ranging in published models in the literature from 20–60%, remains airborne for a thousand years or longer. Ultimate recovery takes place on time scales of hundreds of thousands of years, a geologic longevity typically associated in public perceptions with nuclear waste. The glacial/interglacial climate cycles demonstrate that ice sheets and sea level respond dramatically to millennial-timescale changes in climate forcing. There are also potential positive feedbacks in the carbon cycle, including methane hydrates in the ocean, and peat frozen in permafrost, that are most sensitive to the long tail of the fossil fuel CO₂ in the atmosphere.     

唐古拉地区活动层水热状况及地气系统能水平衡分析

活动层水热状况与地-气系统间能水交换直接影响着寒区生态环境、水文过程以及多年冻土的稳定性。利用唐古拉站2007年实测资料和SHAW模型,对研究点活动层土壤剖面温湿度进行了模拟。土壤温度方面,模型的纳什效率系数NSE≥0.93;水分方面,纳什效率系数的平均值为0.69,说明SHAW模型可用于多年冻土区活动层内水热动态变化的模拟研究。基于模型的输出结果,对唐古拉站活动层土壤冻融过程中的水分动态、地表能量收支的变化特征进行了分析讨论。结果表明:(1)活动层冻融过程中,土壤水分的冻结和融化响应时间随土壤深度的增加而逐渐滞后,水分迁移通量随土壤深度的增加逐渐减小;(2)地表能量平衡收支在季风活动引起的降水与活动层的冻融循环共同影响下,表现出明显的季节性变化特征。同时,通过改变SHAW模型植被输入参数中的叶面积指数,分析了植被覆盖变化对多年冻土区土壤蒸散发的影响。结果表明:植被蒸腾量、土壤蒸发量与总的蒸散发量与植被的叶面积指数呈正相关关系,而浅层土壤含水率(20 cm)则表现为负相关,当叶面积指数在-100%(裸土)~100%变化时,总蒸散发量的变化幅度为-5%~13%。     

青藏铁路适应气候变化的筑路工程技术

 气候变化对高温高含冰量冻土影响显著，因此，青藏铁路穿越多年冻土地区的筑路工程设计必须考虑未来气候变化的影响。为了减缓、适应气候变化的影响，解决高温高含冰量路基稳定性问题，修建青藏铁路时提出了冷却路基、降低多年冻土温度的设计新思想。该筑路工程技术通过采用调控热的传导、辐射和对流以及综合调控措施达到降低多年冻土温度、适应气候变化的目的，最大限度地确保多年冻土区路基的稳定性。     

青藏高原1977—2006年土壤热状况研究

浅层土壤温度的变化可以指示活动层厚度变化。利用青藏高原及毗邻地区74个站1977—2006年近30年的土壤温度资料,研究了青藏高原及毗邻地区土壤热状况。结果表明,自1977年的近30年来,5 cm土壤负积温绝对值有减小的趋势,在高原的不同区域减小的幅度不同,对整个研究区域而言,负积温绝对值每10年降低了35℃;近30年来研究区内土壤的最大冻结深度呈现减薄的趋势;冻结期间（冷季）高原腹地负积温变化幅度要比边缘地区大,而在一个完整的冻融循环过程中,高原腹地相对于边缘地区稳定;近30年来高原地区冻融强度（FTI）呈现增大的趋势,这在某种程度上表明高原多年冻土区冻土的稳定性发生了变化;纬度及海拔对FTI值的影响较大,当海拔低于4000 m时,33°N南北两区域FTI值随海拔升高的减小率不同,南部减小的量是北部的2.5倍,海拔高于4000 m时,FTI值受纬度影响相对减弱。     

The carbon-sequestration potential of a global afforestation program

We analyzed the changes in the carbon cycle that could be achieved with a global, largescale afforestation program that is economically, politically, and technically feasible. We estimated that of the areas regarded as suitable for large-scale plantations, only about 345 million ha would actually be available for plantations and agroforestry for the sole purpose of sequestering carbon. The maximum annual rate of carbon fixation (1.48 Gt/yr) would only be achieved 60 years after the establishment of the plantations - 1.14 Gt by above-ground biomass and 0.34 Gt by below-ground biomass. Over the period from 1995 to 2095, a total of 104 Gt of carbon would be sequestered. This is substantially lower than the amount of carbon required to offset current carbon emissions (3.8 Gt/yr) in order to stabilize the carbon content of the atmosphere.     

An OGCM Simulation of Seasonal and Interannual Variabilities in the Surface—Layer Pacific of the Equatorial Band

The heat budget is analyzed in the surface-layer (0-50 m) Pacific of the equatorial band (10°S-10°N),using the simulation of an ocean general circulation model from 1945 to 1993. The analysis indicates that downward net surface heat flux from the atmosphere and ocean advective heat fluxes play distinct roles in seasonal and interannual variabilities of surface-layer ocean temperature. The surface heat flux dominantly determines the ocean temperature in the seasonal time-scale. But, it has a negative feedback to the ocean temperature in the interannual time-scale. The interannual variability of ocean temperature is largely associated with the cold advection from off-equatorial divergent flow in the central Pacific and from upwelling in the cold tongue. Both the surface heat flux and ocean advective heat fluxes are important to the ocean temperature during an El Nino event. The ocean advective heat fluxes are further associated with local westward trade wind in the central Pacific. These results are largely consistent with some regional observational analyses.     

Emissions, Concentrations, & Temperature: A Time Series Analysis

We use recent advances in time series econometrics to estimate the relation among emissions of CO₂ and CH₄, the concentration of these gases, and global surface temperature. These models are estimated and specified to answer two questions; (1) does human activity affect global surface temperature and; (2) does global surface temperature affect the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and/or methane. Regression results provide direct evidence for a statistically meaningful relation between radiative forcing and global surface temperature. A simple model based on these results indicates that greenhouse gases and anthropogenic sulfur emissions are largely responsible for the change in temperature over the last 130 years. The regression results also indicate that increases in surface temperature since 1870 have changed the flow of carbon dioxide to and from the atmosphere in a way that increases its atmospheric concentration. Finally, the regression results for methane hint that higher temperatures may increase its atmospheric concentration, but this effect is not estimated precisely.     

Wind tunnel wake measurements of heavier-than-air gas dispersion near a two-dimensional obstacle

The dispersion of a uniform two-dimensional flow of carbon dioxide gas in air over a square two-dimensional obstacle was studied experimentally in an atmospheric boundary-layer wind tunnel. The obstacle Reynolds number was about 6000 based upon the undisturbed velocity at the height of the obstacle, and the Froude number was about 1.75. Carbon dioxide was injected vertically upward from the surface at a rate of 10% of the freestream velocity. The injection surface area began one obstacle length upstream and extended upstream one and one-half obstacle lengths. A gas concentration measurement system for carbon dioxide and air mixtures was developed for use in an atmospheric wind tunnel. Centerline steady-state concentration profiles were measured for various locations downstream of the leading edge of the obstacle. The maximum concentrations of carbon dioxide occurred atop the obstacle in the thin recirculation zone above the obstacle. Immediately behind the obstacle within the larger downstream recirculation zone, concentration levels significantly decreased. Further downstream, the concentration levels continued to diminish.Experimental results were compared with the numerical solutions of Sutton et al. (1986). The experimental measurements of concentration were lower than the predicted results of the numerical solutions, which may be attributed to the higher value of the Froude number present in the experimental measurements.Associate Professor.     

海洋碳循环模式(Ⅱ)——对印度洋的模拟结果分析

把建好的海洋碳模式应用于印度洋区域，模拟得到了印度洋中与碳有关各化学量的表层分布、垂直分布和沿子午线面的等值线分布。与实测的GEOSECS(Geochemical Ocean－Section Study)数据作对比，模式较好地再现了印度洋上营养盐浓度、总碳浓度、总碱度和溶解氧的二维分布。通过模拟还发现，在稳定状态下，大气和海洋中总碳含量的分布依赖于发生在海洋中的各种物理化学过程及边界条件，水平扩散系数Kh和光合作用常数率Kg对各化学量的分布有较大影响(以前有学者认为不太重要，如Baes[1])；南印度洋中纬地区10°S至30°S是14C的重要向下渗透区域，人为排放的CO2可通过这片渗透区从海洋的表层输入海洋的深层。     

冻融作用对大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化的影响研究

冻融循环是影响土壤碳氮生物地球化学过程较为重要的因素。在全球变化背景下,冻融作用对冻土区土壤碳库稳定性及其关键生物地球化学过程影响研究是当前国际热点,尤其是冻融作用影响下多年冻土区泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化研究目前仍未明确。选取我国大兴安岭多年冻土区泥炭地表层（0~15 cm）和深层（15~30 cm）土壤,采用冻融试验及室内培养方法,探索分析了冻融作用影响下泥炭地土壤有机碳矿化特征,并从土壤活性碳和土壤酶活性角度阐述了影响机制。结果表明在短期的培养中,土壤有机碳矿化量在483~2836 mg/kg间波动,而冻融循环均显著降低了表层和深层土壤有机碳矿化量,并且对深层土壤有机碳的矿化抑制作用更为明显,高达76%。值得注意的是,冻融循环却明显促进了CH₄的排放,尤其是表层土壤,高达145%。冻融循环作用也显著增加了土壤可溶性有机碳（DOC）含量,但却降低了土壤微生物量碳（MBC）以及土壤纤维素酶、淀粉酶和蔗糖酶活性。冻融作用下低的土壤酶活性以及相对低质量碳是抑制土壤有机碳矿化的原因。全球变暖背景下,与单纯温度增加所导致的土壤有机碳矿化释放量相比,冻融循环作用能降低大兴安岭泥炭地活动层中土壤有机碳在短期内碳的释放。