The Objectives of ITMS
The Integrated Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System for Germany (ITMS) will enable Germany to operationally monitor the sources and sinks of the three most important anthropogenic long-lived greenhouse gases (GHGs): CO2, CH4, and N2O, with the help of atmospheric measurements and innovative modelling approaches. It is designed to improve the scientific understanding and quantification of GHG sources and sinks while supporting Germany’s climate policy. Based on independent atmospheric observations, sectorially resolved anthropogenic and natural sources and sinks for Germany are quantified in appropriate spatial and temporal resolution. The long-term vision of the ITMS is to (1) provide operational services for national GHG reporting, policy advice and public information on the effectiveness of GHG mitigation efforts for Germany and (2) serve as a research infrastructure fostering scientific collaboration on related topics.
ITMS enables the operational implementation of data streams from GHG observations, state-of-the-art atmospheric models, data assimilation systems and integrated data flows. Within the research and development in these fields, the ITMS focus is to characterize and reduce uncertainties across the information chain, including the development of observational data, models, and a-priori databases. This effort relies on three critical components: (1) observational data streams from traceable, comparable, compatible, and quality-controlled measurements of atmospheric GHG concentrations and surface-atmosphere fluxes with adequate spatial and temporal resolution, tailored to ITMS needs and requirements, (2) first guess (a-priori) estimates of spatially and temporally resolved GHG fluxes from anthropogenic activities and natural processes, and (3) advanced data assimilation systems that combine the information with atmospheric tracer transport modelling in a quantitative way to precisely estimate GHG sources and sinks.