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Project Code [2024IENZ679]

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Project title

Agricultural Methane Emissions: Farm Scale to Regional Scale

Primary Funding Agency

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

Lead Organisation

University of Galway (UG)

Lead Applicant

Not listed

Project Abstract

This project will bridge the gap between quantifications of methane fluxes at regional and farm scales and introduce a new, practical means of standardising on-farm emission estimates under natural farming conditions. In the first phase of the work, a comprehensive intercomparison of on-farm measurement techniques will cross-validate measurements on mobile platforms, such as cars and drones, against alternative research methods and technologies (GreenFeed, chamber and micrometeorological). This will enable the development of a standardised measurement strategy for farm-scale emissions using the new mobile suite, addressing the weaknesses of existing methods; GreenFeed and chamber measurements are temporally and spatially discrete measurements and might not adequately represent emissions over the course of an entire day or region. The diurnal cycle of emissions will be captured by the mobile suite and analysed to determine the most representative measurements and then through the mobile nature of the new platform, spatial variability will be captured. The mobile measurements will be combined with data from the recently launched MethaneSAT. In a world-first, cutting edge machine learning and a wealth of existing data, including process and production data, will be used to accurately predict methane emissions at the farm scale across a wide region. Our project will contribute to a standardisation of methodologies to support climate-related action and management practices in agriculture. It also enables the development of new technologies, developed with groups of animals under natural farming conditions, which enables technology providers to demonstrate the effect of their products in a realistic context and with high accuracy.

Grant Approved

�1,919,312.21

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

2. Ireland's Future Climate, its Impacts, and Adaptation Options

Start Date

01/01/2025

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/12/2029