Accountability in climate change initiatives –

kerbside CO2 monitoring

Ben Barratt, King’s College London

APRIL Greenhouse Gas Group

December 2009

Aims of the presentation

• The problem – why do we need kerbside CO2 monitoring?:− Emissions model validation− Accountability

• A solution− Kerbside monitoring trial− A CO2 monitoring network for London

• The way forward:− Analysis methods− Funding− Integration / co-ordination

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1. Model Validation

• Detailed LAEI used for CO2 emissions scenario testing for TfL.

• Modelling toolkit to produce high resolution (2x2m) output.

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• Validation with monitoring data essential part of process.

• Mapped CO2 outputs

possible, but not robust without measurement validation.

1. Model Validation

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• Decreases in NOX, NO2 and PM10 predicted by NAEI and LAEI

have halted (common across Europe).

• CO2 emissions predictions may also be wrong.

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UK Urban Road Transport NOx emissions

NAEI

Observations,ppb

2. Accountability

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• Isolation and quantification of affects of transport initiatives (GG and non-GG) on London’s CO2 concentrations.

• Increasingly advanced analysis techniques used to separate influencing factors.

• Relies on high quality monitoring data at a range of comparable monitoring sites, including ‘control’ sites.

• Monitoring must be in place well before intervention.

2. Accountability

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• How strong is the traffic signal?

2. Accountability

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• How strong is the traffic signal? > 200 ppb NOx

2. Accountability

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• Local sources of CO2 have to be isolated from non-local.

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15 m

inut

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CO2

conc

entr

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/ pp

m

Rural (Silwood Park) Central London kerbside

3. An urban CO2 monitoring network

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• A proposed network of ground-level fixed permanent CO2

monitors.• Monitors co-located with existing comprehensive pollution

monitoring sites, including met and classified traffic data.• Primarily roadside, but also urban background and rural.• Instrumentation must be affordable, reliable (>90% annual

data capture), stable, responsive.• Operated to defined QA/QC standards – temporally and

spatially comparable.

3. Kerbside analyser trial

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Model Technique Deployment period ‘Valid’ data capture (%)

Monitor Labs 9820

IR Absn. 7 months 90.3

API 360 IR Absn. 8 weeks 80.6

Synspec GC 7 weeks 98.5

Licor 820 IR 4 months 47.6

4. The way forward

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• Funding− Has to be long term− TfL, Defra− Clearflo− Marylebone Road KCL-funded permanent Li-cor

• Transferral and application of analysis methods.• Co-ordination with other measurements (tower, flux etc).

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