ECo Talks: The NIST Greenhouse Gas Urban Testbed System with Anna Karion
Anna Karion, Research Scientist in the Greenhouse Gas Measurements program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will present her talk, ” The NIST Greenhouse Gas Urban Testbed System: Recent results and challenges in urban greenhouse gas emissions estimation,” as part of the ECo Talks series produced by the Earth Commons.
About the Speaker: Anna Karion is a research scientist in the Greenhouse Gas Measurements program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), supporting the Urban Testbed project. Her expertise is deploying and interpreting atmospheric measurements of greenhouse gasses and utilizing models to estimate their emissions. She is the NIST Principal Investigator for the Northeast Corridor Urban Testbed project, which aims to determine the best methods for determining emissions of greenhouse gasses along urban areas in the US Northeast, beginning with Washington D.C., and Baltimore, MD. Prior to joining NIST, Dr. Karion was a member of the Aircraft Program of the NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory (NOAA/GML). There, she was involved in the development of the AirCore (an innovative balloon-borne air sampling system), as well as numerous aircraft campaigns in Alaska and over oil and gas production regions. Dr. Karion received her Ph. D. and M. S. in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University.
About the Talk: Three urban testbeds have been established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Greenhouse Gas Measurements Program in Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Washington/Baltimore. These are collaborative multi-institution projects (including federal agencies, universities, and the private sector), combining atmospheric measurements and analysis to estimate urban greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and related uncertainties. GHG’s are measured from dense high-accuracy tower networks and during periodic aircraft campaigns. Each testbed hosts additional observations and analyses aimed at quantifying GHG emissions, often complemented by outside researcher-led campaigns that leverage existing long-term monitoring.
“Here we present an overview of each testbed along with recent scientific results, ongoing measurements, and future plans for the system. The goal of the testbed system is bringing emissions estimates derived using various methodologies into consensus. We show examples of such compatibility between estimates in Indianapolis, evidence of emissions reductions during the COVID-19 shutdown in March and April of 2020 in both Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and more recent work on long-term methane trends in Washington DC and Baltimore, Maryland. We also highlight the largest sources of uncertainty in our emissions estimates.”
Event Details: Light refreshments will be provided. Free and open to all. No RSVP required.
About the Series: ECo Talks feature scholars, leaders and innovators sparking conversation, sharing knowledge, and spurring change. ECo Talks are presented by the Earth Commons Fridays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm in Arrupe Hall Conference Room. Learn more about the series >>
