California Air Resources Board

CARB has an extensive greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring and measurement research program to study the regional and local emission sources of important GHGs in California. CARB initiated the first subnational GHG Monitoring Network in 2010 (with pilot measurements in 2007) to study the regional GHG emissions trends throughout the state, and evaluate the regional and statewide inventories to support the AB 32 program. These efforts rely on highly accurate and precise ambient measurement of greenhouse gases, which are analyzed using complex analytical tools. The monitoring network cannot attribute increased methane to any individual source. The measurements are of ambient concentration levels which are influenced by an aggregation of source contributions and meteorological influences. The data can be coupled with advanced computational models to study regional emissions and track changes in GHG levels in the atmosphere.   

CARB GHG Monitoring Network Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)

CARB has developed a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) that details a comprehensive project plan to develop, instrument, and implement the state-of-the-art CARB GHG Monitoring Network in California. The document also details CARB’s data processing and review processes to ensure that the Network data meets the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. This stringent approach allows CARB Network data to meet the highest level of accuracy and precision for consistency with the collaborated research stations throughout California. Furthermore, CARB requires highest data quality to provide high accuracy data for evaluating the statewide emissions inventory.