Andrew Thorpe

Project Scientist

JPL
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Andrew Thorpe is a technologist in the JPL imaging spectroscopy group with a decade of experience working with imaging spectrometer data. He has developed quantitative gas retrievals for AVIRIS, AVIRIS-NG, and EMIT using differential optical absorption spectroscopy, methods to estimate emission rates, and contributed to projects aimed at visualizing methane results and reducing data latency. Andrew is currently an EMIT Science Team member leading the EMIT greenhouse gas mapping application, and the Deputy Instrument Scientist for Carbon Plume Mapper.

Education

  • Ph.D., Geography | Univ. of California, Santa Barbaray | 2015
  • B.S., Geology | Brown University | 2004

Professional Experience

Andrew Thorpe has extensive experience in high-resolution methane mapping, ranging from retrieval algorithms (A. Thorpe, Frankenberg, and Roberts 2014; Andrew K. Thorpe et al. 2017; Andrew K. Thorpe et al. 2021) and the first ever controlled release experiment involving aircraft and spectroscopic mapping (Andrew K. Thorpe et al. 2016) to data analysis and sectorial up-scaling of methane fluxes (Andrew K. Thorpe et al. 2023, 2020; Cusworth et al. 2022; Duren et al. 2019).

References

Cusworth, Daniel H., Andrew K. Thorpe, Alana K. Ayasse, David Stepp, Joseph Heckler, Gregory P. Asner, Charles E. Miller, et al. 2022. “Strong Methane Point Sources Contribute a Disproportionate Fraction of Total Emissions Across Multiple Basins in the United States.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (38): e2202338119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2202338119.
Duren, Riley M, Andrew K Thorpe, Kelsey T Foster, Talha Rafiq, Francesca M Hopkins, Vineet Yadav, Brian D Bue, et al. 2019. “California’s Methane Super-Emitters.” Nature 575 (7781): 180–84. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-952096/v1.
Thorpe, AK, C Frankenberg, and DA Roberts. 2014. “Retrieval Techniques for Airborne Imaging of Methane Concentrations Using High Spatial and Moderate Spectral Resolution: Application to AVIRIS.” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 7 (2): 491–506. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-491-2014.
Thorpe, Andrew K, Riley M Duren, Stephen Conley, Kuldeep R Prasad, Brian D Bue, Vineet Yadav, Kelsey T Foster, et al. 2020. “Methane Emissions from Underground Gas Storage in California.” Environmental Research Letters 15 (4): 045005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab751d.
Thorpe, Andrew K, Christian Frankenberg, AD Aubrey, DA Roberts, AA Nottrott, TA Rahn, JA Sauer, et al. 2016. “Mapping Methane Concentrations from a Controlled Release Experiment Using the Next Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG).” Remote Sensing of Environment 179: 104–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.06.018.
Thorpe, Andrew K, Christian Frankenberg, David R Thompson, Riley M Duren, Andrew D Aubrey, Brian D Bue, Robert O Green, et al. 2017. “Airborne DOAS Retrievals of Methane, Carbon Dioxide, and Water Vapor Concentrations at High Spatial Resolution: Application to AVIRIS-NG.” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 10 (10): 3833–50. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-3833-2017.
Thorpe, Andrew K, Robert O Green, David R Thompson, Philip G Brodrick, John W Chapman, Clayton D Elder, Itziar Irakulis-Loitxate, et al. 2023. “Attribution of Individual Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emission Sources Using EMIT Observations from Space.” Science Advances 9 (46): eadh2391. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh2391.
Thorpe, Andrew K., Christopher O’Handley, George D. Emmitt, Philip L. DeCola, Francesca M. Hopkins, Vineet Yadav, Abhinav Guha, et al. 2021. “Improved Methane Emission Estimates Using AVIRIS-NG and an Airborne Doppler Wind Lidar.” Remote Sensing of Environment 266: 112681. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112681.