California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author: Andrew Rollins

Contractor: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Contract number: 23RD020

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: AB 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan, Nitrous Oxide Emissions from California Lands

Topic areas: Climate Change, Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory Program

Research Summary:

Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) is a key ingredient for ground-level ozone and secondary aerosol formation. Recent findings suggested agricultural soils are a dominant source of NOx pollution in California, with especially high soil NOx emissions in the Central Valley region. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) plans to use existing data to diagnose the importance of NOx emissions from agricultural activities and gain more insight into the importance of soil NOx emissions in improving California's regional air quality. The research team will analyze existing airborne datasets and modeling to estimate nitrogenous emissions over the San Joaquin Valley, distinguish soil NOx in the analysis where possible, and understand the impact of nitrogenous emission sources on secondary ozone pollution.

Keywords: nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogenous emission, secondary pollutant formation, NOx and ozone pollution, soil and agricultural emissions