The new Horizon Europe-funded project, IM4CA (Investigating Methane for Climate Action), coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, brings together leading methane experts to strengthen global efforts in reducing methane emissions. It focuses on reinforcing methane mitigation policies with precise emission data, developing advanced monitoring infrastructure, and improving climate models to better predict future methane trends. By integrating satellite technology, field measurements, and scientific modelling, IM4CA aims to support the EU’s methane reduction targets and provide actionable insights to combat climate change.
ICOS’ role in the project includes establishing new observation stations in Eastern Europe and Africa, leveraging knowledge and expertise from the ICOS network.
In Europe, ICOS station protocols will be used to set up and support stations at Kasprowy Wierch in Poland and a mobile ICOS-like tower in Romania. Additionally, the project will extend ICOS’s methane monitoring capabilities, with plans to maintain these improvements long-term after the project’s completion. The ICOS Central Analytical Laboratories (CAL) will use ICOS flasks to analyse C and H isotopes of methane.
“ICOS is a crucial infrastructure for greenhouse gas monitoring in Europe. The IM4CA project will not only use ICOS expertise but it also help strengthen the RI. This is done with new investments in measurement infrastructure and also by advertising the data created by the project through the ICOS Carbon Portal”, says Dr Sander Houweling, coordinator of the IM4CA project.
IM4CA will also establish an online tool for assessing methane emissions across the EU and globally. Project teams will investigate regional emission estimates from the EU, Congo, and the pan-Arctic as well as perform global assessments. The results will be compared against national, European, and global emission inventories.
Reducing methane emissions is a vital step towards a fossil-free future
The IM4CA project builds upon and strengthens the ICOS infrastructure and serves as an important step in the value chain for enhancing and disseminating knowledge based on ICOS observations. It aims to inform policymakers and the general public about the role that mitigating methane emissions plays in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
“Reducing methane emissions buys us time as we transition towards a fossil-free energy system, helping to limit the impact of climate change on societies”, Dr Alex Vermeulen, Head of the ICOS Carbon Portal says. “Better knowledge gained from the IM4CA project will enable more targeted and cost-efficient abatement of these emissions through improved source apportionment, leveraging new multi-tracer information and enhanced modelling tools.”
The models and observational data generated by the project will be made available through the ICOS Carbon Portal.
- Learn more about the ICOS Central Analytical Laboratories here.
- Follow the IM4CA project on LinkedIn here.