Work

Observationally constrained global NOx and CO emissions variability reveals sources which contribute significantly to CO2 emissions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Due to relatively short lifetime and wide variability, global-scale high-resolution emission inventories of trace gasses need further improvement to match ground-based observations, especially with respect to extreme events and changing sources. This work uses two satellites in tandem to globally constrain daily to weekly emissions of NOx and CO grid-by-grid over the most changing regions. The emissions of NOx and CO are respectively computed as 5.76×105-6.25×106 MT/yr and 1.06×107-2.78×107 MT/yr, representing a mean 200% and 130% increase over existing inventories. A considerable amount of emissions comes from: regions not previously identified, short-to-medium term temporal variation, and three source types (biomass burning, long-range transport, and mixed). The extra CO2 emissions due to chemical decay of extra CO leads to an annual average increase of 3.5% from Central Africa and 6.1% from the Amazon, reflecting the importance of addressing CO from biomass burning.

Source: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

DOI: 10.1038/s41612-025-00977-2

Authors: Shuo Wang, Jason Blake Cohen, Luoyao Guan, Lingxiao Lu, Pravash Tiwari, Kai Qin

Institution: China University of Mining and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,590