Zooming In on America's Carbon Emissions

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a system that shows CO2 emissions with more than 100 times more detail than any previous data. The mapping system is called "Vulcan", and it pinpoints sources of carbon dioxide at local levels, broken down on an hourly basis. It then translates the results into easily-to-read graphics. Vulcan shows what is coming from road traffic, industrial parks and neighborhoods, revealing some surprises about where the highest levels of emissions are.

Word of Mouth host Virginia Prescott speaks with the leader of the project, Kevin Gurney. Dr. Gurney is professor of earth and atmospheric science at Purdue.

This map shows where CO2 is being emitted in the continental United States in 10-kilometer grids and combines data from sources including factories, automobiles on highways and power plants. The image displays metric tons of carbon per year per grid in a logarithmic base-10 scale. Click here for full-size map.

(Purdue University image/Kevin Gurney)