Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley Previously Published Works bannerUC Berkeley

Observing Anthropogenic and Biogenic CO2 Emissions in Los Angeles Using a Dense Sensor Network.

Abstract

Urban areas are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating effective monitoring systems to evaluate mitigation strategies. A dense sensor network, such as the Berkeley Environmental Air-quality & CO2 Observation Network (BEACO2N), offers a unique opportunity to monitor urban emissions at high spatial resolution. Here, we describe a simple approach to quantifying urban emissions with sufficient precision to constrain seasonal and annual trends. Measurements from 12 BEACO2N sites in Los Angeles (called the USC Carbon Census) are analyzed within a box model framework. By combining CO2 and CO observations, we partition total CO2 emissions into fossil fuel and biogenic emissions. We infer temporal changes in biogenic emissions that correspond to the MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and show that net biogenic exchange can consume up to 60% of fossil fuel emissions in the growing season during daytime hours. While we use the first year of observations to describe seasonal variation, we demonstrate the feasibility of this approach to constrain annual and longer trends.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View