CO2 maps depict greenhouse gas sources

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 7 (UPI) -- Researchers said they've created new, high-resolution, interactive maps of U.S. carbon dioxide emission sources that contain some surprises.

The Purdue University scientists said they've discovered CO2 emissions aren't all where they were thought to be located.

"For example, we've been attributing too many emissions to the northeastern United States, and it's looking like the southeastern U.S. is a much larger source than we had estimated previously," said Assistant Professor Kevin Gurney, who led the research.

The maps and system, called "Vulcan," show CO2 emissions at more than 100 times more detail than previously available. Until now, carbon dioxide emissions data were reported, in the best cases, monthly at the level of an entire state. The Vulcan model examines CO2 emissions at local levels and on an hourly basis.

The three-year project, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy, involved researchers from Purdue University, Colorado State University and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Vulcan is expected to complement NASA's planned December launch of the Orbital Carbon Observatory satellite, which will measure the concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere.