Field Studies of Urban Emissions

Cities determine a great deal of global energy consumption and the corresponding impact on the local and global environment. However, data with extent of coverage and level of detail required to characterize this impact is not available to inform either regulatory or compliance policies, or for urban planning and modeling purposes. Even in data-rich cities, there is inadequate information on the emissions of gaseous pollutant plumes. Closing those gaps with high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution and with broad and persistent coverage is revolutionizing our understanding of the urban environment and urban energy use. This will have potentially significant impact on the health and well-being of inhabitants in densely constructed environments, and aid in tracking compliance. We carried out an eight-day campaign imaging New York City from Freedom Tower to Central Park at nearly every 3 minutes in spectral bands from 7.4 to 13.2 microns. Results revealed the emission of over 10 types of gaseous plumes. We will report on the methodology including methods for atmospheric corrections and estimation of concentrations.