On 25 June, Trouw reported that the Dutch cabinet aims to agree on nitrogen emissions with each farmer individually. To support this, TNO is developing a new method to measure ammonia (NH₃) emissions from the air using an aircraft, in collaboration with SRON, TU Delft, and ISISPACE. This approach will enable far more detailed mapping of ammonia concentrations than current ground-based measurements.
The government also plans to remove the “critical deposition value” (the legal threshold for nitrogen deposition in nature areas) from the law, requiring alternative ways to assess the impact of emissions on nature. The new measurement method could help fill this gap, providing better data for policy, transparency, and enforcement, while also strengthening Dutch space technology.
These figures show simulated satellite measurements of ammonia at a single point in time, comparing the existing IASI-B instrument with the proposed new instrument concept. This provides an indication of the expected coverage, resolution and quality of the measurements. Areas not included in the simulation remain uncolored, such as cloud-covered regions.
