Seminar

Improving Anthropogenic Emission Inventories using Atmospheric Observations

DSRC entrance

Brian McDonald, NOAA ESRL CSD & CIRES visiting fellow

Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 3:30 pm Mountain Time
DSRC 2A305

Abstract

Since the 1970s, the U.S. has made great progress in improving air quality. Yet many regions of the country still violate at least one national ambient air quality standard as regulated under the Clean Air Act. This talk investigates current understanding, and uncertainties in quantifying, key anthropogenic sources of air pollution and greenhouse gases. Sectors that will be emphasized include: (1) transportation, (2) energy production, and (3) consumer products. Standard emission inventories used in scientific research and air quality planning often disagree substantially with atmospheric observations (e.g., from aircraft, satellites, surface monitors, and towers), which undermines confidence in the utility of inventories in atmospheric modeling applications. To reduce emission uncertainties, an integrated framework is employed that leverages measurements of emission sources, measurements of the ambient atmosphere, chemical transport models, and data on human activity. By improving our understanding of key emission sources, atmospheric models can better inform policies that cost-effectively mitigate poor air quality. Historically, motor vehicles and stationary sources of emissions have been the focus of air quality management efforts. However, future actions will need to take into account other emerging sources of air pollution, which have received less attention.


Dr. Brian McDonald received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Master's in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. He received undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Economics. He is currently a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the Chemical Sciences Division at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory.

ALL Seminar attendees agree not to cite, quote, copy, or distribute material presented without the explicit written consent of the seminar presenter. Any opinions expressed in this seminar are those of the speaker alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NOAA or CSL.