Understanding Methane Point Source Emissions

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology. This specific research opportunity focuses on understanding methane point source emissions through the application of breakthrough airborne and satellite methane remote sensing technologies. The project involves developing a tiered methane observing system that will identify and quantify methane fluxes on local to national scales, including the ability to conduct large area surveys and image methane plumes at ~1 to 10 m scales with high detection sensitivity. Recent work includes studies of emissions from the Four Corners, NM area, California's San Joaquin Valley, and the Los Angeles basin. Ongoing components include the California Airborne Methane Survey, investigations of future space-based remote sensing options from the International Space Station and geostationary orbit, GIS-based methane inventories, the Methane Source Finder project, and the Megacities Carbon Project. The research aims to resolve key elements of uncertainty in carbon cycle science, generate accurate greenhouse gas inventories, and inform emission mitigation decisions. Successful candidates will have expertise in atmospheric physics and chemistry, carbon cycle science, airborne instruments, atmospheric remote sensing, regional scale CO2 flux inversions, or equivalent. Fellows will join the active JPL Carbon Cycle Science group and have opportunities to interact with colleagues at Caltech.