NERC Portable Building

We propose making the tall tower network at Bilsdale (BSD), Tacolneston (TAC) and Ridge Hill (RGL), greenhouse gas (GHG) 'super-sites' with state-of-the-art laser-based instruments, meteorological observations, and facilities to allow additional future NERC-funded, community-based research on site. High frequency in situ measurements currently provide a backbone for GHG research in the UK and these facilities need investment to ensure they can continue to support future research in the form of augmenting individual field campaigns, interpretation of data from upcoming satellite missions, and advancing our understanding of atmospheric transport and model/measurement uncertainties.

The in situ UK BEIS funded network of tall towers (along with the Mace Head (MHD) baseline station in Ireland) underpins the UK GHG emissions reporting capability, and the measurement/modelling system in place is currently held as an example of this work for research groups around the world. This investment will maintain the UK's leading role in this area.

Each of the tower sites currently house Picarro instrumentation for CO2, CH4, CO (TAC, BSD, RGL) measurements; GC-multiple detector equipment for SF6 and N2O (TAC, BSD, RGL, MHD), medusa GC-MS instruments for a wide range of GHGs and ozone depleting gases (TAC, MHD). The existing data are submitted regularly to the global EBAS, CDIAC and WDCGGs databases.

A portable building for use as a scientific laboratory at the UK DECC Network atmospheric observation sites would enhance the space available for GHG measurements and field campaigns. One (maybe two stacked) laboratories to be sited at Tacolneston, Norfolk; the one/two at Bilsdale, N. Yorkshire.