Weather and Climate Measurements in Urban Domes

Due to urbanization, more than 50% of the global population, at least 70% of fossil-fuel carbon dioxide emissions, and a significant amount of anthropogenic methane are concentrated into a small fraction of the Earth's surface. In response, major cities around the world are taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The potential benefits are large because the combined CO2 emissions of the world's 50 largest cities would amount to the third-largest national emitter, trailing only China and the U.S.

Emissions from cities are projected to increase significantly over the next two decades, spurred by growth in developing countries and stabilization in developed countries. Effectively reducing emissions and verifying the effectiveness of regulatory programs and international treaties necessitates accurate accounting. Yet no existing or planned system is capable of monitoring the atmospheric emissions trends for trace gases and aerosols attributed to the world's largest cities. To this end, a combination of “bottom-up” emissions inventory estimates with "top-down" methods that rely on objectively measurable changes in atmospheric composition in and around source regions is required. Developing a scientifically defensible internationally recognized methodology to Measure, Report and Verify (MRV) emissions from cities must be developed to effectively diagnose and improve the validity of reported emissions around the world. Such techniques will become fundamental in supporting the urban policy management decisions that confront nations today and in the future. This presentation will provide an overview of current U.S. and global initiatives involving numerous public, private and academic partners designed to identify and establish effective methodologies for this purpose.