Views from the European Environment

Agency

Henrik Steen Andersen, EEA

Introduction

This presentation will focus on two topics related to the implementation of the CO2 MVS capacity’s in situ component:

1. The role of the European Environment Agency vis-a-vis the Copernicus In Situ Component.

2. The potential involvement and contributions from the European Environmental Information and Observation Network (EIONET) to the CO2 MVS Capacity In Situ Component.

Setting the scene

Essential in situ measurements are needed to establish an operational Monitoring & Verification Support capacity to quantify anthropogenic CO2 emissions;

• The availability of sustained in situ networks is essential for a fit-for-purpose European CO2 support.

• Consequently, the in situ measurements need to be extended under a coordinated European lead with dedicated infrastructure and targeted, additional and sustained long-term funding.

The European Environment Agency

• The European Environment Agency (EEA) provides sound, independent information on the environment.

• The EEA has 32 member countries and six cooperating countries;

• The EEA aims to support sustainable development through the provision of timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policymaking agents and the public;

• The European environment information and observation network (EIONET) is a partnership network of the EEA and the countries.

The European Environment Agency

The EEA is responsible for the cross-cutting coordination of the Copernicus In Situ Component:

• Establishing and maintaining an overview of the state of play of in situ data;

• Operational provision of cross-cutting in situ data;

• Managing partnerships with data providers;

• Supporting the European Commission and Copernicus service providers.

An introduction to EIONET

• The European Environment Information and Observation Network (EIONET) is a partnership network of the EEA and its member and cooperating countries;

• Through EIONET, the EEA brings together environmental information from individual countries concentrating on the delivery of timely, nationally validated, high-quality data.

• The exchange and sharing of environmental data is embedded in EU legislation (EU member states) or high-level agreements between the EU and respective non-EU EIONET member and cooperating countries.

An introduction to EIONET

EU Member States and EEA member and cooperating countries measure pollutant concentrations at monitoring stations in compliance with the Ambient Air Quality Directives.

These air quality measurements are reported by EIONET members and hosted by the EEA and consist mainly of:

• Up-to-date (or near-real time) measurements coming from automatic samplers;

• Validated measurements from both automatic and manual samplers submitted annually by the end of September.

CO2 MVS capacity - a game changer?

• The successful definition, implementation, and operation of the CO2 MVS Capacity require a holistic approach;

• This enables us to prepare and make full use of existing in situ observing capacities;

• And to Identify gaps and propose mitigating actions in time before the operational phase.

EEA actions related to the CO2 MVS In Situ Component

• Workshop. European space agencies and data users met with representatives of TCCON and other networks to discuss the sustainability of the network which will be crucial component of the CO2M In Situ Component. (April 2019); insitu.copernicus.eu (News article)

• Report on European greenhouse gas column Cal/Val network sustainability. (January 2020); insitu.copernicus.eu (Library)

• Report on how urban EIONET in situ infrastructure can contribute to a future Copernicus anthropogenic CO2 observing system. (June 2020).

Conclusions regarding Cal/Val

• Ground based remote sensing observations of column GHG from TCCON are essential for Cal/Val of current and future GHG observations from space. Consequently, it is of highest priority to identify sustainable funding for the European part of TCCON;

• COCCON has demonstrated its value for campaign-based observations but also has potential for complementing the ground-based Cal/Val network especially for emission monitoring of hotspots;

• Minimum requirements for GHG Cal/Val need to be defined by the space agencies and the Copernicus services in a more detailed report.

Conclusions regarding Cal/Val

• There are three possible pathways for achieving long-term sustainable GHG Cal/Val observations:

• FRM network as part of the European GHG mission;• Integration of column observations into ICOS or;• A combination of both.

• In the case of the integration of the European TCCON stations into ICOS, the national funding agencies of all involved ICOS member states must support this step;

• A comprehensive implementing strategy and plan for the transition phase should be prepared.

EIONET - preliminary perspectives

• EIONET and the EEA serves as a data repository for measurements reported by EU member states and represents a relevant in situ network due to the CO2 MVS capacity’s need for urban measurement data on co-emitted species;

• In accordance with the sampling standards set out in the Air Quality Directive(s) EIONET provides in situ observations of tracer pollutants from European cities;

• These air quality observations and the subsequent sharing of the data are embedded in EU legislation and could be sustained in the long-term. However, further assessment is required to judge whether these potentially useful data are fit for purpose;

EIONET – preliminary perspectives

• Plans in the EU’s Green Deal to evaluate the current air quality legislation may present an opportunity to explore potential improvements in air pollution measurements that would benefit both local air quality monitoring and the CO2 MVS capacity;

• The CO2 MVS in situ component will require coordination and governance at European level as well as additional observing capacity (in particularly urban areas). The EEA and EIONET could play an important role in this respect, as is the case for the delivery of up-to-date air quality observations to CAMS.

EIONET – preliminary perspectives

• Cities are considering the adoption of measurement-based GHG emission monitoring to facilitate the compilation of inventories. Thus, it would be pertinent to focus the dialogue with the respective municipalities through fora such as the European Covenant of Mayors;

• Such cooperation could benefit both sides, providing support to the local planners wanting to implement the measurements while at the same time ensuring that what is implemented meets the technical requirements of the CO2 MVS capacity;

• Together with EIONET, formal data sharing mechanisms can be developed which may allow a sustained stream of this data into the CO2 MVS capacity.

Concluding remarks

The ‘Green Report’ identified dedicated actions within three complementary area. The EEA/EIONET could potentially make contributions to them all.

1. Ensure the sustainability of essential networks such as the TCCON and others,

2. Enhance existing network capabilities to include new observations such as 14C and co-emitted species from fossil fuel burning,

3. Propose adequate governance schemes to be coordinated at the international level given the global dimension of issues at stake.

MONITORING ANTHROPOGENIC CO2 EMISSIONS WITH COPERNICUSCOPERNICUS INDUSTRY ONLINE WORKSHOP

23 & 24 JUNE 20209H30 – 12H30