Modeled future OCO-2 Path along the LA Basin using six geographic points. For each geographic point, 5 altitude points were used for XCO2 calculation.
Team Location: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Authors: Daniel Cusworth, Kevin O’Connell, Melissa Traverso
Advisors/Mentors: Eric Kort, Charles Miller, Benjamin Holt
Other Acknowledgements: Daniel Cusworth, Kevin O’Connell
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the effectiveness of various emissions reduction strategies pertaining to the city of Los Angeles. While Los Angeles continues to implement carbon reduction policies, the scientific foundations for assessing the efficacy of these policies are inadequate. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) satellite, which NASA expects to launch by February 2013, will have the ability to measure column carbon dioxide concentrations. To link emissions to future OCO-2 observations, emissions inventory data from the NASA/DOE funded Vulcan Project was used in conjunction with the Stochastic Time Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model. This project has provided a method and an insight into which CO2 reduction policies have the ability to be remotely detected.