The Breath of a Nation: High-res Maps, Animations Show US CO2 Footprint

Researchers at Purdue University have found new ways to precisely track concentrations of carbon dioxide across the United States over both space and time. The result: a set of animated images and high-res maps that show what Andy Revkin dubs, "the breath of a nation."

Dubbed the Vulcan Project, the NASA and DOE funded project analyzes and presents maps of CO2 emissions at more than 100 times more detail than was available before, and on shorter time scales that allows high-resolution maps and animations of CO2 emissions and atmospheric transport over time, revealing both daily (or diurnal) and seasonal patters in emissions and areas of high CO2 emissions concentration.

The Vulcan team produced this excellent youTube video that includes the animations of CO2 emissions, "the breath of a nation":




Here's a high-res map of CO2 concentrations across the United States as well, the "carbon footprint" of various regions:

Check out the Vulcan Project's site for more images and info.

[A hat tip to Wired and Andy Revkin at NYTimes' Dot Earth blog]