Carbon Earth Observatory for Carbon Dioxide Reduction Robert D. Cormia Foothill College GHG Emissions / NET Strategies Terrestrial Options for Negative Emissions Earth System Observation Data Platform Technology (NET) The messaging from IPCC is clear; without significant and sustained • Argo • OCO-2/OCO-3 Carbon Dioxide Reduction (CDR) strategies, there is no realistic • Afforestation and reforestation, stop deforestation, • Aqua • GOSAT 2 chance of avoiding potentially disastrous climate change. increase biomass of forest and soils for decades In addition to emission reduction, “drawdown” of atmospheric • Terra • ECOSTRESS carbon dioxide must begin soon and remain in place through the • Monitor and enhance grassland productivity and • CloudSat • GEDI end of the century. There are carbon sinks in the terrestrial carbon sequestration, including hydrology • CALIPSO • LandSat biosphere that have the potential to remove gigatons of carbon Improve soil microbial activity, carbon uptake in soils, dioxide each year, for decades or more. An earth observatory • • SMAP • TROPOMI system, for analysis of carbon cycle processes throughout the userecommended management practices • ICESat-2 • GeoCARB (2022) biosphere, could help measure, inform, and optimize terrestrial • Restore wetlands and connect to ocean inlet to increase carbon sequestration projects. salinity and decrease methane emissions NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) • Enhance Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of oceans Integrated toolset to help achieve CDR Goals NASA’s Earth Observatory tools are designed for accurate and precise measurements of atmospheric gases, geometric aspects of land and biomass, and can sense biochemical changes in plants and biomass that may result from climate change. If we are to be effective in optimizing carbon dioxide reduction projects, we need an integrated data platform with both spatial and temporal resolution. Managing net primary productivity, hydrology, changes in forest biomass, and health of terrestrial and ocean KPI Earth System Observables ecosystems are integral to managing the GHG burden from fossil fuels and land use change. Additionally, ocean based tools (Argo • GHGs: CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, O2/O3 floats) can monitor changes in Ocean Heat Content (OHC) the • Net Primary Productivity (NPP) primary measure of global warming. Other NASA satellites can observe changes in albedo, and the pattern of heat distribution • Clouds, aerosols, atmospheric water on land and ocean, a key measure of climate change. These • Ocean Heat Content (OHC) projects can be monitored and managed regionally and globally, • Land / air and ocean / air temperature helping to achieve Paris climate goals, etc. • Monitor heat / temperature distribution How do we get 5 - 10 Gton of carbon dioxide out of the Monitor earth’s radiation balance (TOA) atmosphere, year over year, for 50 years or more? • .