Partnership case study: Sarah Gallagher


Sarah-Gallagher
Sarah Gallagher
Professor, Physics & Astronomy

Partner

City of London, Comcor Environmental, GHGSat

Interested in...

  • partners who distribute natural gas to monitor their system for leaks
  • provincial and municipal agencies concerned with monitoring orphan gas wells
  • companies in the downstream satellite Earth observation sector using remote-sensing to identify, quantify and monitor greenhouse gas emission sources

Profile

My research focuses on studying growing supermassive black holes at the centres of distant galaxies and the interactions between galaxies in crowded environments. I also speak regularly to audiences of all ages about black holes, space and equity and inclusion in the space sector.

Partnership highlight

Western Space members preparing a methane-detecting drone sweep at city landfill

Western Space members from Physics & Astronomy, Engineering and Computer Science preparing a methane-detecting drone sweep of a city landfill.

We are currently working with the City of London to help measure methane released by London’s landfills. My team uses drones, satellites, stationary and hand-held devices to determine exactly how much methane is produced at city landfill W12A – and whether any of it is escaping the current collection system.

The ultimate goal is to provide information to the City of London and to the company that runs the methane collection system, so they can do the best job they can to capture all the methane and reduce emissions into the atmosphere.

Our partner Comcor Environmental will collect methane emission data from ground-based surveys. They also designed the methane collection system at the London landfill. GHGSat will collect images of the landfill site over the course of a year to look for seasonal variability of total emission rates.