Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City
Long-term, high-frequency atmospheric CO _2 measurements at multiple sites in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, reveal that annual and monthly CO _2 variability aligns with a priori estimates of emissions from anthropogenic and biological sources. In this study, we investigate whether short-term fluctuati...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Communications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/add4cf |
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| author | Ju-Mee Ryoo Inez Fung James R Ehleringer |
| author_facet | Ju-Mee Ryoo Inez Fung James R Ehleringer |
| author_sort | Ju-Mee Ryoo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Long-term, high-frequency atmospheric CO _2 measurements at multiple sites in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, reveal that annual and monthly CO _2 variability aligns with a priori estimates of emissions from anthropogenic and biological sources. In this study, we investigate whether short-term fluctuations in anthropogenic emissions, as captured in the Vulcan3 dataset for the United States, can be detected in atmospheric CO _2 observations. Specifically, we focus on Thanksgiving holidays, when traffic and energy usage patterns differ from the rest of November. Onroad CO _2 emissions exhibit a double peak during weekday morning and evening rush hours but remain relatively low on weekends and Thanksgiving. Interestingly, CO _2 mole fractions during Thanksgiving were higher than the rest of November at all SLC monitoring sites, particularly from 2008 to 2013. This increase is partially attributed to elevated energy-related emissions — especially residential sources — and meteorological factors such as weak wind speeds, cold temperature, and a low planetary boundary layer height (PBLH). While CO _2 emissions and mole fraction patterns align over time, notable spatial differences exist. For instance, the near-highway site in Murray shows the highest CO _2 mole fractions despite low local emissions, suggesting pollution transport via highways and wind advection. Random Forest model-based SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis reveals that onroad emissions dominate CO _2 contributions on weekdays and weekends, while energy-related emissions play a larger role during Thanksgiving, alongside meteorological drivers such as wind speed and PBLH. Across six urban cities, CO _2 emissions display a consistent pattern: residential and commercial emissions peak during Thanksgiving with substantial year-to-year variability, while onroad emissions peak during weekdays, with minimal variability. These findings highlight that urban CO _2 variability is driven by the combined influence of emissions and meteorology, underscoring the need for integrated mitigation strategies. Additionally, multi-site measurements are essential for accurate source attribution and effective policy interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8e2f61a1b1a481c8169d3aa03ae7c09 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2515-7620 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8e2f61a1b1a481c8169d3aa03ae7c092025-08-20T03:20:39ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017606500110.1088/2515-7620/add4cfShort-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake CityJu-Mee Ryoo0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3425-6296Inez Fung1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4106-9875James R Ehleringer2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2050-3636Atmospheric Science Branch, Earth Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, United States of America; Bay Area Environmental Research Institute , Moffett Field, CA 94035, United States of AmericaDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California , Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of America; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California , Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States of AmericaDepartment of Biology, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States of AmericaLong-term, high-frequency atmospheric CO _2 measurements at multiple sites in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, reveal that annual and monthly CO _2 variability aligns with a priori estimates of emissions from anthropogenic and biological sources. In this study, we investigate whether short-term fluctuations in anthropogenic emissions, as captured in the Vulcan3 dataset for the United States, can be detected in atmospheric CO _2 observations. Specifically, we focus on Thanksgiving holidays, when traffic and energy usage patterns differ from the rest of November. Onroad CO _2 emissions exhibit a double peak during weekday morning and evening rush hours but remain relatively low on weekends and Thanksgiving. Interestingly, CO _2 mole fractions during Thanksgiving were higher than the rest of November at all SLC monitoring sites, particularly from 2008 to 2013. This increase is partially attributed to elevated energy-related emissions — especially residential sources — and meteorological factors such as weak wind speeds, cold temperature, and a low planetary boundary layer height (PBLH). While CO _2 emissions and mole fraction patterns align over time, notable spatial differences exist. For instance, the near-highway site in Murray shows the highest CO _2 mole fractions despite low local emissions, suggesting pollution transport via highways and wind advection. Random Forest model-based SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis reveals that onroad emissions dominate CO _2 contributions on weekdays and weekends, while energy-related emissions play a larger role during Thanksgiving, alongside meteorological drivers such as wind speed and PBLH. Across six urban cities, CO _2 emissions display a consistent pattern: residential and commercial emissions peak during Thanksgiving with substantial year-to-year variability, while onroad emissions peak during weekdays, with minimal variability. These findings highlight that urban CO _2 variability is driven by the combined influence of emissions and meteorology, underscoring the need for integrated mitigation strategies. Additionally, multi-site measurements are essential for accurate source attribution and effective policy interventions.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/add4cfThanksgiving holidaysVulcan3 onroad and non-onroad emissionmeteorologySalt Lake City CO2 in-situ measurementfactor analysis |
| spellingShingle | Ju-Mee Ryoo Inez Fung James R Ehleringer Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City Environmental Research Communications Thanksgiving holidays Vulcan3 onroad and non-onroad emission meteorology Salt Lake City CO2 in-situ measurement factor analysis |
| title | Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City |
| title_full | Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City |
| title_fullStr | Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City |
| title_short | Short-term energy and meteorological impacts on Thanksgiving CO2 in Salt Lake City |
| title_sort | short term energy and meteorological impacts on thanksgiving co2 in salt lake city |
| topic | Thanksgiving holidays Vulcan3 onroad and non-onroad emission meteorology Salt Lake City CO2 in-situ measurement factor analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/add4cf |
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