Quantifying Coastal emissions of methane (CH4)
Supervisors
Main supervisor: Doctor Mingxi Yang (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)
Co-supervisor: Professor Simon O’Doherty (University of Bristol)
Co-supervisor: Prof. Philip Nightingale (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)
Project enquiries - Email: [email protected] Contact number: +44 (0) 01752633451
Host Institution: Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Project description
Scientific Background and Significance:
Methane (CH4) is one of the most potent greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere and is key for the Earth's
climate and global carbon cycling. Coastal seas and estuaries are significant sources of CH4 to the atmosphere
due to benthic methanogenesis [1]. Atmospheric CH4 abundance and air-sea CH4 flux have been measured at
the coastal Penlee Point Atmospheric Observatory (PPAO) since May 2014 using state-of-the-art methods.
Early results suggest an estuarine source of CH4 driven by local tidal circulation.
On a local to regional scale, CH4 emissions from coastal systems remain highly uncertain due to the inherent
spatial heterogeneity, large seasonality, and strong biogeochemical as well as physical dynamics. The coastal
and continental CH4 sources are not well characterised in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) synthesis.
Research Methods and Student's Role:
More accurate quantification of CH4 emissions in coastal areas requires a multipronged approach: long-term,
well-calibrated observations at strategic locations, high resolution mapping of spatial variability, and attribution
of sources via trajectory and inversion modelling.
The student will make further CH4 observations at PPAO to establish the seasonal variations and
meteorological forcing in CH4 concentrations and emissions. These measurements will be compared to other
long-term UK sites, including the UK DECC Network sites at Mace Head, Tacolnestion, Ridge Hill and
Angus,(http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/atmospheric-trends/), in addition to Weybourne and Cape Verde. The
student will also capture the distributions in atmospheric CH4 from the upper Tamar Estuary to the coastal seas
by making high frequency observations on a moving platform (e.g. RV Plymouth Quest).Finally, the student
will examine the recent airmass histories and upscale to quantify the regional CH4 emission.
Training:
The student will be trained to install, operate, and maintain the latest instrumentation both at the coastal site and
on a ship. Working alongside expert researchers in air/sea exchange and trace gas cycling, the student will
learn to analyse large datasets and use regional and global chemical transport models.
Person Specification:
We seek an enthusiastic, numerate student who welcomes both instrumental (i.e. engineering) and data
evaluation (i.e. programming) challenges. He/she must have achieved at least a 2:1 BSc Honours in a physical
science (physics, chemistry, maths, or environmental science) and be capable of independent as well as team
work.
Please contact supervisors with any scientific enquiries and further details.
1. Bange, H. W., Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 70, 361-374, 2006
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