Urban CO₂ enhancement signals can be derived using satellite column CO₂ concentrations and atmospheric transport models. However, uncertainties due to model configurations, atmospheric transport, and defined background values can potentially impact the derived urban signals. In this paper, we present a modified Lagrangian model framework that extracts urban CO₂ signals from satellite observations and determines potential error impacts.

Human activities can cause concentrated emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants from cities. There is ongoing effort to convert new satellite observations of pollutants into fluxes for many cities. Here we present a method for determining the flux of three species (CO₂, CH₄, and CO) from the greater LA area using satellite (CO₂ only) and ground-based (all three species) observations. We run tests to estimate uncertainty and find the direct net CO₂ flux is 104 ± 26 Tg CO₂ yr⁻¹.

The Open-source Data Inventory for Anthropogenic CO₂ (ODIAC) is a 1 x 1 km global high-resolution fossil fuel CO₂ emissions data product. ODIAC first introduced the combined use of point source profiles and nighttime light satellite data to create high-resolution emissions spatial distributions and it has been intensively used in the carbon cycle research community. This manuscript describes the 2016 version of ODIAC data, the modeling approach, and future data production and model developments.

Rapid global urbanization and significant fossil fuel consumption by cities emphasize the necessity of achieving independent and accurate quantification of the carbon emissions from urban areas. In this paper, we assess the potential of using total column CO₂ concentration observed from satellite to quantify fossil-fuel carbon emissions from cities. This study could give insights into the capability of satellite observations on monitoring of the emissions on local scale.

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas and a target of new emissions regulations in the United States. Despite its importance, its emissions are poorly understood. In this study, we used a remote sensing instrument located on Mount Wilson to estimate the monthly and annual methane emissions from Los Angeles. Derived methane emissions from Los Angeles showed consistent peaks in late summer/early fall and winter during the study period from 2011 to 2015.