The 2015 COP21 meeting in Paris fundamentally changed the approach to carbon monitoring, reporting, verification and validation (MRV/MRVV). The emphasis on voluntary measures, and the large number of ongoing GHG reduction efforts at sub- national levels in government, non-profit, and private sectors, require monitoring capability at policy-relevant scales: region, state, and city. Urban regions are particularly important because cities account for more than 70% of all global fossil-fuel CO2 emissions, and urban losses of natural gas CH4 equal or exceed emissions from production and processing.
We propose research to develop a prototype MRV system for Boston and the urban Northeastern US, leveraging results of our current CMS project. We will advance our framework and help deploy a similar system in the San Francisco Bay Area, collaborating with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). Both cities have strong GHG reduction efforts (Boston's plan was honored at COP21, and the BAAQMD has ambitious GHG reduction goals for their 10-point Climate Action Work Program). We propose new or enhanced capabilities in four key areas: (1) observational networks that
 ground-based remote sensing from new solar-viewing spectrometers and Lidar with observations from space-borne platforms (OCO-2, OCO-3, TROPOMI, and CALIPSO) and in situ networks; (2) novel bottom-up approaches to generate high- resolution flux inventories in urban and surrounding areas; (3) a high-resolution transport modeling (WRF-STILT) framework, coupled to inversion algorithms to provide posterior estimates of fluxes and uncertainties on scales from urban region to neighborhood; and (4) strong engagement with stakeholder communities and local and state entities.
Quantification and reduction of uncertainties are a key focus. We assess bottom-up inventories by comparing with independent estimates; verify meteorological fields used for transport modeling against a wide range of observations; and undertake intensive field studies to quantify systematic errors in emissions estimates.
The San Francisco Bay area and Boston have contrasting meteorological (e.g., marine vs. continental inflow) and biophysical characteristics (e.g., biomes, seasonality, topographical heterogeneity). We plan an intensive study in the Bay Area under auspices of the BAAQMD, and will focus on transferring to the District methods we have developed for bottom-up inventories at high resolution and elements of our network design and analysis. This work will help us to apply our techniques and findings from the Northeast to elsewhere in the US and the world.
We will assess the MRV capability of column-integrated measurements, both from new ground-based FTS instruments, and space-borne platforms (OCO-2 and OCO-3). Our transport modeling framework will take advantage of recent advances in the treatment of near-field emissions and high-resolution modeling for urban areas. Our proposed bottom- up inventory approach for anthropogenic emissions leverages working relationships with stakeholders to enable use of non-standard activity data, and it treats previously neglected sectors (urban biosphere, human respiration) needed to interpret observational data. We plan to widen stakeholder interactions and address user needs by involving interested parties through exposure to pilot data products and methods transfer.
Our proposal addresses core goals of the NNH15ZDA001N-CMS solicitation: 'using remote sensing data products to produce and evaluate prototype MRV system approaches' and 'studies to improve the characterization and quantification of errors and uncertainties [...] in the algorithms, models, and associated methodologies', and 'studies of stakeholder interests and requirements'. The proposed work will benefit from the team's involvement with the OCO-2 Science Team, the Environmental Defense Fund Methane Initiative, and the CMS project led by Dr. A. Andrews.
Contact Support to request an email list of project participants.
Project URL(s):
None provided.
Data Products:
Product Title: CMS: CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels Combustion, ACES Inventory for Northeastern USA
Start Date: 01/2011End Date: 12/2014 (mid-2013 to present)
Description: This dataset provides estimates of annual and hourly carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels (FF) for 13 states across the Northeastern United States. The Anthropogenic Carbon Emissions System (ACES) was used to estimate annual FFCO2 emissions for nine different emissions source sectors on a 1 x 1 km spatial grid, for the year 2011. Hourly estimates of FFCO2 for the years 2013 and 2014 were derived from the 2011 annual emissions by holding the total emissions constant, but accounting for seasonal and daily variations in meteorology, fuel consumption, and traffic patterns across these two years.
Input Data Products: in-situ and remote CO2 observation and methane observations; a priori anthropogenic and biospheric flux estimates and related data
Algorithm/Models Used: VPRM biosphere model; inversion for posterior flux estimate
Evaluation: Internal QA/QC and consistency checks
Intercomparison Efforts/Gaps: Posterior flux estimates will be compared against available CMS flux products
Uncertainty Estimates: Prior flux uncertainties based primarily on model inter-comparisons; posterior fluxes take into account transport and inversion uncertainties and posterior covariance estimates from inversion
Uncertainty Categories: deterministic and model-data comparison
Application Areas: MRV; GHG emissions inventory
Relevant Policies/Programs: RGGI, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, FLPMA, CAA
Stakeholders: Boston University (Point of Contact: Peter Fox-Penner, pfoxp@bu.edu); Central Transportation Planning Staff (Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization) (Point of Contact: Scott Peterson, speterson@ctps.org); City of Boston, Boston Transportation Department (Point of Contact: Vineet Gupta, vineet.gupta@boston.gov); City of Boston, Office of New Urban Mechanics (Point of Contact: Chris Osgood, chris.osgood@boston.gov); Multiple Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other planning agencies across the U.S. (Point of Contact: Various contacts); Science community (Point of Contact: Various contacts); State of Massachusetts - Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Program (Point of Contact: Hong-Hanh Chu, hong-hanh.chu@state.ma.us)
Archived Data Citation: Gately, C., and L.R. Hutyra. 2018. CMS: CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels Combustion, ACES Inventory for Northeastern USA. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1501
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-81.78000
East Longitude:
-65.93000
North Latitude:
49.19000
South Latitude:
34.51000
Product Title: High-resolution flux inventories in San Francisco Bay Area
Input Data Products: in-situ and remote CO2 observation and methane observations; a priori anthropogenic and biospheric flux estimates and related data
Algorithm/Models Used: VPRM biosphere model; inversion for posterior flux estimate
Evaluation: Internal QA/QC and consistency checks
Intercomparison Efforts/Gaps: Posterior flux estimates will be compared against available CMS flux products
Uncertainty Estimates: Prior flux uncertainties based primarily on model inter-comparisons; posterior fluxes take into account transport and inversion uncertainties and posterior covariance estimates from inversion
Uncertainty Categories: deterministic and model-data comparison
Application Areas: MRV; GHG emissions inventory
Relevant Policies/Programs: CARB, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
Potential Users: Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), OCO-2 Science Team, Environmental Defense Fund Methane Initiative, CMS Arlyn Andrews
Stakeholders: Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) (Point of Contact: Dr. Abhinav Guha (aguha@baaqmd.gov))
Current Application Readiness Level: 3
Start Application Readiness Level: 1
Target Application Readiness Level: 3
Future Developments:
Limitations:
Date When Product Available: December 2018
Metadata URL(s):
Data Server URL(s):
Archived Data Citation:
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-122.63000
East Longitude:
-121.63000
North Latitude:
37.87000
South Latitude:
37.37000
Product Title: WRF-STILT Gridded Footprints for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014
Start Date: 07/2013End Date: 12/2014 (mid-2013 to present)
Description: This dataset provides Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) footprint data products for two receptors located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for July 2013 - December 2014. The data are gridded footprints on a 1-km grid congruent with the ACES emissions inventory. Meteorological fields from version 3.5.1 of the Weather Research and Forecasting model are used to drive STILT. STILT applies a Lagrangian particle dispersion model backwards in time from a measurement location (the "receptor" location), to create the adjoint of the transport model in the form of a "footprint" field. The footprint, with units of mixing ratio, quantifies the influence of upwind surface fluxes on CO2 and CH4 concentrations measured at the receptor and is computed by counting the number of particles in a surface-influenced volume and the time spent in that volume.
Archived Data Citation: Nehrkorn, T., M. Sargent, S.C. Wofsy, and M. Mountain. 2018. WRF-STILT Gridded Footprints for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1572
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-169.50000
East Longitude:
-50.50000
North Latitude:
69.50000
South Latitude:
10.50000
Product Title: WRF-STILT Particle Trajectories for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014
Start Date: 07/2013End Date: 12/2014
Description: This dataset provides Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) particle trajectory data and footprint products for two receptors located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for July 2013 - December 2014. Meteorological fields from version 3.6.1 of the Weather Research and Forecasting model are used to drive STILT. STILT applies a Lagrangian particle dispersion model backwards in time from a measurement location (the "receptor" location), to create the adjoint of the transport model in the form of a "footprint" field. The footprint, with units of mixing ratio (ppm) per surface flux (umol m-2 s-1), quantifies the influence of upwind surface fluxes on CO2 and CH4 concentrations measured at the receptor and is computed by counting the number of particles in a surface-influenced volume and the time spent in that volume. Footprints are provided for the two receptors at two temporal and spatial scales: three days of surface influence over the whole North American coverage area at 1-degree resolution and 24 hours of surface influence within a smaller region close to the measurement locations ('near field') at 0.1-degree resolution.
Status: Archived
CMS Science Theme(s): Land-Atmosphere Flux
Keywords:
Spatial Extent: Boston, Massachusetts
Spatial Resolution: 1-degree for foot1 data; 0.1-degree for footnearfield1 data
Temporal Frequency: Hourly
Input Data Products:
Algorithm/Models Used:
Evaluation:
Intercomparison Efforts/Gaps:
Uncertainty Estimates:
Uncertainty Categories:
Application Areas:
Relevant Policies/Programs:
Potential Users:
Stakeholders: Science community (Point of Contact: Various contacts)
Archived Data Citation: Nehrkorn, T., M. Sargent, S.C. Wofsy, and M. Mountain. 2018. WRF-STILT Particle Trajectories for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1596
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-81.78000
East Longitude:
-65.93000
North Latitude:
49.19000
South Latitude:
34.51000
Product Title: CO2 Observations, Modeled Emissions, and NAM-HYSPLIT Footprints, Boston MA, 2013-2014
Start Date: 09/2013End Date: 12/2014 (Fall 2013 through 2014)
Description: This dataset reports continuous atmospheric measurements of CO2 from two receptor sites and three boundary sites in and around Boston, Massachusetts, USA, that were combined with high-resolution CO2 emissions estimates and the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to estimate regional CO2 emissions from September 2013 to December 2014. The HYSPLIT model followed an ensemble of 1,000 particles released at the urban CO2 measurement sites backward in time based on wind fields and turbulence from the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM) at 12-km resolution to the boundary CO2 measurement sites to derive footprint values and CO2 enhancements expected from the prior emissions based on the Anthropogenic Carbon Emissions System (ACES) inventory and the urban-Vegetation Photosynthesis Respiration Model (urbanVPRM). This dataset contains three sets of data products: (1) observed hourly mean CO2 observations for two urban receptor sites in Boston, MA (Boston University (BU) and Copley Square (COP)), (2) observed hourly mean CO2 and calculated vertical profiles (50 - 5000 m) for three boundary sites around Boston including Harvard Forest at Petersham, MA (HF), Canaan, NH (CA), and Martha's Vineyard, MA (MVY), and modeled mean boundary CO2 concentrations for particles released from BU and COP, and (3) particle trajectory files including footprint values and CO2 enhancements above boundary CO2 concentrations from the HYSPLIT model.
Spatial Extent: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and area congruent with the ACES emissions inventory, in the Northeastern USA
Spatial Resolution: Point measurements
Temporal Frequency: Hourly
Input Data Products: in-situ and remote CO2 observations along the Boston to Washington DC corridor; Mini MPL measurements at 3 locations in the corridor
Algorithm/Models Used:
Evaluation: All measurements undergo continuous QA/QC, calibration against NOAA standards, and intercalibration
Intercomparison Efforts/Gaps:
Uncertainty Estimates: Measurement errors are known based on instrument characteristics; representativity errors estimated using model-data mismatch
Uncertainty Categories: deterministic and model-data comparison
Application Areas: MRV; GHG emissions inventory
Relevant Policies/Programs: RGGI, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, FLPMA, CAA
Stakeholders: Environmental Defense Fund (Point of Contact: Steven Hamburg, Shamburg@edf.org; Joe Rudek, jrudek@edf.org); National Institute of Standards and Technology, Greenhouse Gas and Climate Science Measurement (Point of Contact: Dr. James Whetstone, james.whetstone@nist.gov, Anna Karion, anna.karion@nist.gov); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Earth System Research Laboratory Global Monitoring Divisio (Point of Contact: Dr. Arlyn Andrews, Arlyn.Andrews@noaa.gov); Science community (Point of Contact: Various contacts)
Archived Data Citation: Sargent, M., S.C. Wofsy, and T. Nehrkorn. 2018. CO2 Observations, Modeled Emissions, and NAM-HYSPLIT Footprints, Boston MA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1586
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-72.18000
East Longitude:
-70.00000
North Latitude:
43.71000
South Latitude:
41.35000
Product Title: DARTE Annual On-road CO2 Emissions on a 1-km Grid, Conterminous USA, V2, 1980-2017
Start Date: 01/1980End Date: 12/2017 (1980-2012)
Description: This data set provides a 38-year, 1-km resolution inventory of annual on-road CO2 emissions for the conterminous United States based on roadway-level vehicle traffic data and state-specific emissions factors for multiple vehicle types on urban and rural roads as compiled in the Database of Road Transportation Emissions (DARTE). CO2 emissions from the on-road transportation sector are provided annually for 1980-2017 as a continuous surface at a spatial resolution of 1 km.
Input Data Products: Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) dataset
Algorithm/Models Used:
Evaluation: Within the HPMS database, the annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) information was inspected by county and functional class to identify potential outliers or structural breaks in the dataset. A filtering algorithm flagged any observation in an individual county/functional class time series if the magnitude of the year-on-year difference between an observation and adjacent years was greater than two standard deviations from the mean year-on-year difference of that time series. Of the 761,759 observations in the dataset, roughly 10% were flagged and replaced by the filtering procedure.
Intercomparison Efforts/Gaps:
Uncertainty Estimates: Direct quantification of the uncertainty in US on-road emissions is made impossible by the absence of independent data sources against which to compare government estimates.
Relevant Policies/Programs: Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), Clean Air Act (CAA)
Archived Data Citation: Gately, C., L.R. Hutyra, and I.S. Wing. 2019. DARTE Annual On-road CO2 Emissions on a 1-km Grid, Conterminous USA, V2, 1980-2017. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1735
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-137.26000
East Longitude:
-62.04000
North Latitude:
53.39000
South Latitude:
22.09000
Product Title: Methane and Ethane Observations for Boston, MA, 2012-2020
Start Date: 08/2012End Date: 05/2020 (2012-09-01 to 2020-05-30)
Description: This dataset provides the hourly average of continuous atmospheric measurements of methane (CH4) from two urban sites and three boundary sites in and around Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., from September 2012-May 2020, measured with Picarro cavity ring down spectrometers (CRDS). Five-minute average atmospheric measurements of ethane (C2H6) and methane at Copley Square in Boston, MA, are also provided, with ethane measured with a laser spectrometer and methane measured with a Picarro CRDS. Background CH4 concentrations for the urban sites were determined using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model trajectories at the boundary of the study region based on measurements at three boundary sites and wind direction from the North American Mesoscale Forecast System (NAM) 12-kilometer meteorology.
Archived Data Citation: Sargent, M., S.C. Wofsy, C. Floerchinger, J. Buddy, and E.W. Gottlieb. 2022. Methane and Ethane Observations for Boston, MA, 2012-2020. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1982
Bounding Coordinates:
West Longitude:
-72.40000
East Longitude:
-69.80000
North Latitude:
43.71000
South Latitude:
41.50000
Publications:
Barrera, Y. D., Nehrkorn, T., Hegarty, J., Sargent, M., Benmergui, J., Gottlieb, E., Wofsy, S. C., DeCola, P., Hutyra, L., Jones, T. 2019. Using Lidar Technology To Assess Urban Air Pollution and Improve Estimates of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Boston. Environmental Science & Technology. 53(15), 8957-8966. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00650
Barrera, Yanina Débora: Using Lidar Technology and the STILT Model to Assess Air Pollution and Improve Estimates of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Cities, Ph.D. thesis, July, 2019, 102pp.
Decina, S. M., Templer, P. H., Hutyra, L. R. 2018. Atmospheric Inputs of Nitrogen, Carbon, and Phosphorus across an Urban Area: Unaccounted Fluxes and Canopy Influences. Earth's Future. 6(2), 134-148. DOI: 10.1002/2017EF000653
Floerchinger, Cody: Airborne methane flux quantification and source identification using high resolution measurements of ethane and methane, Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, July, 2019, 161pp.
Gately, C. K., Hutyra, L. R. 2017. Large Uncertainties in Urban-Scale Carbon Emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 122(20). DOI: 10.1002/2017JD027359
Gately, C. K., Hutyra, L. R., Peterson, S., Sue Wing, I. 2017. Urban emissions hotspots: Quantifying vehicle congestion and air pollution using mobile phone GPS data. Environmental Pollution. 229, 496-504. DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.091
Hardiman, B. S., Wang, J. A., Hutyra, L. R., Gately, C. K., Getson, J. M., Friedl, M. A. 2017. Accounting for urban biogenic fluxes in regional carbon budgets. Science of The Total Environment. 592, 366-372. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.028
Jones, Taylor: Advances in Environmental Measurement Systems: Remote Sensing of Urban Methane Emissions and Tree Sap Flow Quantification, Ph. D. Thesis, Harvard University, Sep. 2019.
Propp, Adrienne M., "MethaneSat: Detecting Methane Emissions from the Barnett Shale Region", Senior Thesis in Applied Mathematic, Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2017, 83pp.
Reinmann, A. B., Hutyra, L. R. 2016. Edge effects enhance carbon uptake and its vulnerability to climate change in temperate broadleaf forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 114(1), 107-112. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1612369114
Sargent, M. R., Floerchinger, C., McKain, K., Budney, J., Gottlieb, E. W., Hutyra, L. R., Rudek, J., Wofsy, S. C. 2021. Majority of US urban natural gas emissions unaccounted for in inventories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118(44). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2105804118
Sargent, M., Barrera, Y., Nehrkorn, T., Hutyra, L. R., Gately, C. K., Jones, T., McKain, K., Sweeney, C., Hegarty, J., Hardiman, B., Wang, J. A., Wofsy, S. C. 2018. Anthropogenic and biogenic CO
2
fluxes in the Boston urban region. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 115(29), 7491-7496. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1803715115
Viatte, C., Lauvaux, T., Hedelius, J. K., Parker, H., Chen, J., Jones, T., Franklin, J. E., Deng, A. J., Gaudet, B., Verhulst, K., Duren, R., Wunch, D., Roehl, C., Dubey, M. K., Wofsy, S., Wennberg, P. O. 2017. Methane emissions from dairies in the Los Angeles Basin. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 17(12), 7509-7528. DOI: 10.5194/acp-17-7509-2017
Archived Data Citations:
Gately, C., and L.R. Hutyra. 2018. CMS: CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuels Combustion, ACES Inventory for Northeastern USA. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1501
Sargent, M., S.C. Wofsy, and T. Nehrkorn. 2018. CO2 Observations, Modeled Emissions, and NAM-HYSPLIT Footprints, Boston MA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1586
Nehrkorn, T., M. Sargent, S.C. Wofsy, and M. Mountain. 2018. WRF-STILT Gridded Footprints for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1572
Nehrkorn, T., M. Sargent, S.C. Wofsy, and M. Mountain. 2018. WRF-STILT Particle Trajectories for Boston, MA, USA, 2013-2014. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1596
Gately, C., L.R. Hutyra, and I.S. Wing. 2019. DARTE Annual On-road CO2 Emissions on a 1-km Grid, Conterminous USA, V2, 1980-2017. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1735
Sargent, M., S.C. Wofsy, C. Floerchinger, J. Buddy, and E.W. Gottlieb. 2022. Methane and Ethane Observations for Boston, MA, 2012-2020. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. DOI: 10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1982