Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions
Errors in the specification or utilization of fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions within carbon budget or atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> inverse studies can alias the estimation of biospheric and oceanic carbon exchange. A key component in the simulation of CO<sub>2</su...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Geoscientific Model Development |
| Online Access: | http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/7/2867/2014/gmd-7-2867-2014.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819319512793612288 |
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| author | X. Zhang K. R. Gurney P. Rayner Y. Liu S. Asefi-Najafabady |
| author_facet | X. Zhang K. R. Gurney P. Rayner Y. Liu S. Asefi-Najafabady |
| author_sort | X. Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Errors in the specification or utilization of fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions
within carbon budget or atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> inverse studies can alias the
estimation of biospheric and oceanic carbon exchange. A key component in the
simulation of CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations arising from fossil fuel emissions is
the spatial distribution of the emission near coastlines. Regridding of
fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions (FFCO<sub>2</sub>) from fine to coarse grids to
enable atmospheric transport simulations can give rise to mismatches between
the emissions and simulated atmospheric dynamics which differ over land or
water. For example, emissions originally emanating from the land are emitted
from a grid cell for which the vertical mixing reflects the roughness and/or
surface energy exchange of an ocean surface. We test this potential
"dynamical inconsistency" by examining simulated global atmospheric
CO<sub>2</sub> concentration driven by two different approaches to regridding
fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. The two approaches are as follows: (1) a commonly used
method that allocates emissions to grid cells with no attempt to ensure
dynamical consistency with atmospheric transport and (2) an improved method
that reallocates emissions to grid cells to ensure dynamically consistent
results. Results show large spatial and temporal differences in the
simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration when comparing these two approaches. The
emissions difference ranges from −30.3 TgC grid cell<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> (−3.39 kgC m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>)
to +30.0 TgC grid cell<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> (+2.6 kgC m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>) along
coastal margins. Maximum simulated annual mean CO<sub>2</sub> concentration
differences at the surface exceed ±6 ppm at various locations and
times. Examination of the current CO<sub>2</sub> monitoring locations during the
local afternoon, consistent with inversion modeling system sampling and
measurement protocols, finds maximum hourly differences at 38 stations
exceed ±0.10 ppm with individual station differences exceeding −32 ppm.
The differences implied by not accounting for this dynamical
consistency problem are largest at monitoring sites proximal to large
coastal urban areas and point sources. These results suggest that studies
comparing simulated to observed atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration, such as
atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> inversions, must take measures to correct for this
potential problem and ensure flux and dynamical consistency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T11:04:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f2895fa5653419daed4c539f21c5b74 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1991-959X 1991-9603 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T11:04:52Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoscientific Model Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f2895fa5653419daed4c539f21c5b742022-12-21T16:58:38ZengCopernicus PublicationsGeoscientific Model Development1991-959X1991-96032014-12-01762867287410.5194/gmd-7-2867-2014Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissionsX. Zhang0K. R. Gurney1P. Rayner2Y. Liu3S. Asefi-Najafabady4School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, 3010, Victoria, AustraliaLaboratory for Atmosphere, Science Systems and Applications, Inc., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Code 614, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USASchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USAErrors in the specification or utilization of fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions within carbon budget or atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> inverse studies can alias the estimation of biospheric and oceanic carbon exchange. A key component in the simulation of CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations arising from fossil fuel emissions is the spatial distribution of the emission near coastlines. Regridding of fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions (FFCO<sub>2</sub>) from fine to coarse grids to enable atmospheric transport simulations can give rise to mismatches between the emissions and simulated atmospheric dynamics which differ over land or water. For example, emissions originally emanating from the land are emitted from a grid cell for which the vertical mixing reflects the roughness and/or surface energy exchange of an ocean surface. We test this potential "dynamical inconsistency" by examining simulated global atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration driven by two different approaches to regridding fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. The two approaches are as follows: (1) a commonly used method that allocates emissions to grid cells with no attempt to ensure dynamical consistency with atmospheric transport and (2) an improved method that reallocates emissions to grid cells to ensure dynamically consistent results. Results show large spatial and temporal differences in the simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration when comparing these two approaches. The emissions difference ranges from −30.3 TgC grid cell<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> (−3.39 kgC m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>) to +30.0 TgC grid cell<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup> (+2.6 kgC m<sup>−2</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>) along coastal margins. Maximum simulated annual mean CO<sub>2</sub> concentration differences at the surface exceed ±6 ppm at various locations and times. Examination of the current CO<sub>2</sub> monitoring locations during the local afternoon, consistent with inversion modeling system sampling and measurement protocols, finds maximum hourly differences at 38 stations exceed ±0.10 ppm with individual station differences exceeding −32 ppm. The differences implied by not accounting for this dynamical consistency problem are largest at monitoring sites proximal to large coastal urban areas and point sources. These results suggest that studies comparing simulated to observed atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentration, such as atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> inversions, must take measures to correct for this potential problem and ensure flux and dynamical consistency.http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/7/2867/2014/gmd-7-2867-2014.pdf |
| spellingShingle | X. Zhang K. R. Gurney P. Rayner Y. Liu S. Asefi-Najafabady Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions Geoscientific Model Development |
| title | Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions |
| title_full | Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions |
| title_fullStr | Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions |
| title_short | Sensitivity of simulated CO<sub>2</sub> concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel CO<sub>2</sub> emissions |
| title_sort | sensitivity of simulated co sub 2 sub concentration to regridding of global fossil fuel co sub 2 sub emissions |
| url | http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/7/2867/2014/gmd-7-2867-2014.pdf |
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