Estimating London’s methane emissions using a novel urban observation system

Abstract

In recent years city governments have become more vocal and pro-active when it comes to climate policy, with cities such as London having policy in place to reach net zero emissions. In order to achieve these ambitions, cities need reliable methods to understand their emissions. In this thesis I present a novel method for estimating London's emissions, using a purpose-built measurement network and a new custom designed Bayesian modelling system. This modelling system allows for instruments that are calibrated only once before measurements begin, and then drift during a campaign. This allows for a lower cost network that requires less equipment and maintenance, so that a network can be setup more easily across the world. I apply this method to the first 6 months of data collected from the network, January-June 2021, and suggests that London's methane emissions are 47 ± 27 % higher than previously reported in the national inventory.

Date of Award	6 Dec 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Matthew L Rigby (Supervisor)