Observing Anthropogenic and Biogenic CO2 Emissions in Los Angeles Using a Dense Sensor Network
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide 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 & CO 2 Observation Network (BEACO 2 N), 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 BEACO 2 N sites in Los Angeles (called the USC Carbon Census) are analyzed within a box model framework. By combining CO 2 and CO observations, we partition total CO 2 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.
Institutions: University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Award: G7198630863
OpenAlex ID: W4407541267