High-resolution atmospheric mercury emission from open biomass burning in China: Integration of localized emission factors and multi-source finer resolution remote sensing data

Zehua Xu; Zhangwei Wang; Xiang Niu; Jinhua Tao; Meng Fan; Bing Wang; Meigen Zhang; Xiaoshan Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2023.108102

High-resolution atmospheric mercury emission from open biomass burning in China: Integration of localized emission factors and multi-source finer resolution remote sensing data

Environ Int. 2023 Aug:178:108102. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108102. Epub 2023 Jul 19.

Authors

Zehua Xu¹, Zhangwei Wang², Xiang Niu³, Jinhua Tao⁴, Meng Fan⁴, Bing Wang⁵, Meigen Zhang⁶, Xiaoshan Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: wangzhw@rcees.ac.cn.
³ Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China. Electronic address: niuxiang@caf.ac.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
⁵ Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.

PMID: 37572495
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108102

Abstract

Mercury (Hg) emissions from open biomass burning represent one of the largest Hg inputs to the atmosphere, with considerable effects on the atmospheric Hg budget. However, there is currently large uncertainty in the inventory of Hg emissions from open biomass burning in China due to limitations on the coarse resolution of burned area products, rough biomass data, and the unavailability of suitable emission factors (EFs). In this study, we developed high tempo-spatial resolution (30 m) and long time-series (2000-2019) atmospheric Hg emission inventories from open biomass burning using the Global Annual Burned Area Map (GABAM) product, high-resolution biomass map, Landsat-based tree cover datasets as well as local EFs in China. The results showed that the average annual Hg emission from open biomass burning in China amounted to 172.6 kg during 2000-2019, with a range of 63-398.5 kg. The largest Hg emissions were found in cropland (72%), followed by forest (25.9%), and grassland (2.1%). On a regional level, Northeast China (NE) and Southwest China (SW) were the two main contributors, together accounting for more than 60% of total Hg emissions. The temporal distribution of Hg emissions showed that the peaks occurred in 2003 and 2014. This is a comprehensive estimation of Hg emissions from open biomass burning in China by integrating various high-resolution remotely sensed data and nationwide localized EFs, which has important implications for understanding the role of open biomass burning in China in regional and global atmospheric Hg budget.

Keywords: Biomass burning; Hg emissions; Landsat satellite data; Localized emission factors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Biomass
China
Environmental Monitoring
Mercury* / analysis
Remote Sensing Technology

Substances

Mercury
Air Pollutants