The Greenhouse Gas Monitor project, led by Vipac Engineers & Scientists has received a $2.3 million grant from the Government’s Australian Space Research Program.
Vipac will work with the Australian National University, the universities of Wollongong and Melbourne, the Bureau of Meteorology and Melbourne-based Rosebank Engineering. The project aims to develop an innovative sensor to measure greenhouse gases nationally and globally.
The project will tie the measurements to observations by satellites in order to provide global coverage. Additionally it will develop modelling and analysis tools to interpret the data, thereby advancing scientific understanding of the carbon cycle and providing policy relevant information of sources and sinks of greenhouse gases.
The improved information on the distribution of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere resulting from the project will mean better monitoring and management of the roles of agriculture, forestation and deforestation as CO2 sources and sinks.
It will also deliver more reliable weather forecasts and more sensitive detection of climate change. The project will also increase Australian capability in the design, build and test of advanced remote sensing instruments.
Vipac is a multi-disciplinary technical consultancy specialising in mechanical and systems engineering, testing and instrumentation.
The company hosts runs a NATA accredited laboratory testing and has capabilities in acoustics, vibration, fluid mechanics, thermo-dynamics and system design.
The Federal Government believes that space science is no longer about a race to the moon but about helping tackle quality-of-life issues such as weather forecasting and changing climate.
The project is part of the Government’s Clean Energy Future initiative.