TY - JOUR
T1 - Emissions of CH4 and N2O over the United States and Canada based on a receptor-oriented modeling framework and COBRA-NA atmospheric observations
AU - Kort, Eric A.
AU - Eluszkiewicz, Janusz
AU - Stephens, Britton B.
AU - Miller, John B.
AU - Gerbig, Christoph
AU - Nehrkorn, Thomas
AU - Daube, Bruce C.
AU - Kaplan, Jed O.
AU - Houweling, Sander
AU - Wofsy, Steven C.
PY - 2008/9/28
Y1 - 2008/9/28
N2 - We present top-down emission constraints for two non-CO2 greenhouse gases in large areas of the U.S. and southern Canada during early summer. Collocated airborne measurements of methane and nitrous oxide acquired during the COBRA-NA campaign in May-June 2003, analyzed using a receptor-oriented Lagrangian particle dispersion model, provide robust validation of independent bottom-up emission estimates from the EDGAR and GEIA inventories. We find that the EDGAR CH4 emission rates are slightly low by a factor of 1.08 ± 0.15 (2σ), while both EDGAR and GEIA N2O emissions are significantly too low, by factors of 2.62 ± 0.50 and 3.05 ± 0.61, respectively, for this region. Potential footprint bias may expand the statistically retrieved uncertainties. Seasonality of agricultural N2O emissions may help explain the discrepancy. Total anthropogenic U.S. and Canadian emissions would be 49 Tg CH4 and 4.3 Tg N2O annually, if these inventory scaling factors applied to all of North America.
AB - We present top-down emission constraints for two non-CO2 greenhouse gases in large areas of the U.S. and southern Canada during early summer. Collocated airborne measurements of methane and nitrous oxide acquired during the COBRA-NA campaign in May-June 2003, analyzed using a receptor-oriented Lagrangian particle dispersion model, provide robust validation of independent bottom-up emission estimates from the EDGAR and GEIA inventories. We find that the EDGAR CH4 emission rates are slightly low by a factor of 1.08 ± 0.15 (2σ), while both EDGAR and GEIA N2O emissions are significantly too low, by factors of 2.62 ± 0.50 and 3.05 ± 0.61, respectively, for this region. Potential footprint bias may expand the statistically retrieved uncertainties. Seasonality of agricultural N2O emissions may help explain the discrepancy. Total anthropogenic U.S. and Canadian emissions would be 49 Tg CH4 and 4.3 Tg N2O annually, if these inventory scaling factors applied to all of North America.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/57849135581
U2 - 10.1029/2008GL034031
DO - 10.1029/2008GL034031
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:57849135581
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 35
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 18
M1 - L18808
ER -