Emission database for global atmospheric research (Edgar)

Abstract

Atmospheric chemistry and climate modellers require gridded global emissions data as input into their models. To meet this urgent need a global emissions source database called EDGAR is being developed by TNO and RIVM to estimate for 1990, on a regional and on a grid basis, annual emissions of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, CO, NOx, non-methane VOC, SOx), of NH3, and of ozone depleting compounds (halocarbons) from all known sources. The aim is to establish at due levels of spatial, temporal and source aggregation the emissions from both anthropogenic and biogenic sources: a complete set of data required to estimate the total source strength of the various gases with a 1×1 ° resolution (altitude resolution of 1 km) and a temporal resolution of a month, supplemented by diurnal variation, as agreed upon in the Global Emissions Inventory Activity (GEIA) of the International Atmospheric Chemistry Programme (IGAC). In this way EDGAR will meet the requirements of present and future developments in the field of atmospheric modelling. The data comprise demographic data, social and economic factors, land use distributions and emission factors (with due emphasis on the uncertainty). As understanding in this field is still changing, due attention is paid to flexibility regarding the disaggregation of sources, spatial and temporal resolution and species. The objective and methodology chosen for the construction of the database and the structural design of the database system are presented, as well as the type and sources of data and the approach used for data collection. As an example, the construction of the N2O inventory is discussed.

Global distribution of carbon monoxide

“…Our approach of scaling the NO x fossil fuel emissions to estimate CO is reasonable because the combustion processes which emit NO x are generally responsible for CO emissions as well. An alternate approach would be to use an emissions estimate developed specifically for CO from fossil fuel combustion, such as the EDGAR database [Olivier et al, 1994]. As noted in Table 1, however, the global total fossil fuel CO emission estimate from the EDGAR study (297 Tg CO/yr) is very similar to our estimate of 300 Tg CO/yr.…”

Impact of different emission inventories on simulated tropospheric ozone over China: a regional chemical transport model evaluation

“…The used emission inventories are (i) emission estimates for the year 1995 from the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR v32;Olivier et al, 1999Olivier et al, , 2002, (ii) regional emission inventory used in the Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific (TRACE-P) program with emission estimates for the year 2000 (Streets et al, 2003) and (iii) national emission inventory used in the Chinese Ozone Research Programme (CORP) with emission estimates for the year 1995 (Bai, 1996).…”

“…The EDGAR database presents a global estimate of several compounds including NO x , CO, and NMVOC for the year 1990 and 1995 (Olivier et al, 1999(Olivier et al, , 2002. Emissions are calculated using an emission factor approach and emissions by sector are distributed on a 1 • ×1 • grid based mainly on population maps.…”

“…In order to pinpoint the emission inventory as cause for the difference between model calculations and observations, quantitative information is needed on how much the emission inventory is an inaccurate calculation of the 'real' emission. Although most of the processes leading to emissions are understood, data on these processes (activity data or emission factors) are often not available in the amount of detail required for accurate emission inventory Sources: Olivier et al (2002) for EDGAR data (EDG), Streets et al (2003) for TRACE-P data (TRA) and Bai (1996) for CORP data (COR). Sectional information for CORP is not available.…”

Investigation of NO<sub>x</sub> emissions and NO<sub>x</sub>-related chemistry in East Asia using CMAQ-predicted and GOME-derived NO<sub>2</sub> columns

“…There are several NO x emission inventories in China available for 2001 including i) ACE-ASIA/TRACE-P inventory (Streets et al, 2003), ii) REAS , iii) EDGAR (Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research) (Olivier et al, 1999(Olivier et al, , 2002, and iv) GEIA. Here, the ACE-ASIA and REAS inventories were used for a comparison study of the NO x emission fluxes from China.…”