Dataset Information

Sustained growth of sulfur hexafluoride emissions in China inferred from atmospheric observations.

ABSTRACT: Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is a potent greenhouse gas. Here we use long-term atmospheric observations to determine SF₆ emissions from China between 2011 and 2021, which are used to evaluate the Chinese national SF₆ emission inventory and to better understand the global SF₆ budget. SF₆ emissions in China substantially increased from 2.6 (2.3-2.7, 68% uncertainty) Gg yr^-1 in 2011 to 5.1 (4.8-5.4) Gg yr^-1 in 2021. The increase from China is larger than the global total emissions rise, implying that it has offset falling emissions from other countries. Emissions in the less-populated western regions of China, which have potentially not been well quantified in previous measurement-based estimates, contribute significantly to the national SF₆ emissions, likely due to substantial power generation and transmission in that area. The CO₂-eq emissions of SF₆ in China in 2021 were 125 (117-132) million tonnes (Mt), comparable to the national total CO₂ emissions of several countries such as the Netherlands or Nigeria. The increasing SF₆ emissions offset some of the CO₂ reductions achieved through transitioning to renewable energy in the power industry, and might hinder progress towards achieving China's goal of carbon neutrality by 2060 if no concrete control measures are implemented.

SUBMITTER: An M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10915133 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sustained growth of sulfur hexafluoride emissions in China inferred from atmospheric observations.

An Minde M Prinn Ronald G RG Western Luke M LM Zhao Xingchen X Yao Bo B Hu Jianxin J Ganesan Anita L AL Mühle Jens J Weiss Ray F RF Krummel Paul B PB O'Doherty Simon S Young Dickon D Rigby Matthew M

Nature communications 20240305 1

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a potent greenhouse gas. Here we use long-term atmospheric observations to determine SF6 emissions from China between 2011 and 2021, which are used to evaluate the Chinese national SF6 emission inventory and to better understand the global SF6 budget. SF6 emissions in China substantially increased from 2.6 (2.3-2.7, 68% uncertainty) Gg yr-1 in 2011 to 5.1 (4.8-5.4) Gg yr-1 in 2021. The incre ...[more]

PMID: 38443346

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Project description:We developed a near-real-time estimation method for temporal changes in fossil fuel CO2 (FFCO2) emissions from China for 3 months [January, February, March (JFM)] based on atmospheric CO2 and CH4 observations on Hateruma Island (HAT, 24.06° N, 123.81° E) and Yonaguni Island (YON, 24.47° N, 123.01° E), Japan. These two remote islands are in the downwind region of continental East Asia during winter because of the East Asian monsoon. Previous studies have revealed that monthly averages of synoptic-scale variability ratios of atmospheric CO2 and CH4 (ΔCO2/ΔCH4) observed at HAT and YON in JFM are sensitive to changes in continental emissions. From the analysis based on an atmospheric transport model with all components of CO2 and CH4 fluxes, we found that the ΔCO2/ΔCH4 ratio was linearly related to the FFCO2/CH4 emission ratio in China because calculating the variability ratio canceled out the transport influences. Using the simulated linear relationship, we converted the observed ΔCO2/ΔCH4 ratios into FFCO2/CH4 emission ratios in China. The change rates of the emission ratios for 2020-2022 were calculated relative to those for the preceding 9-year period (2011-2019), during which relatively stable ΔCO2/ΔCH4 ratios were observed. These changes in the emission ratios can be read as FFCO2 emission changes under the assumption of no interannual variations in CH4 emissions and biospheric CO2 fluxes for JFM. The resulting average changes in the FFCO2 emissions in January, February, and March 2020 were 17 ± 8%, - 36 ± 7%, and - 12 ± 8%, respectively, (- 10 ± 9% for JFM overall) relative to 2011-2019. These results were generally consistent with previous estimates. The emission changes for January, February, and March were 18 ± 8%, - 2 ± 10%, and 29 ± 12%, respectively, in 2021 (15 ± 10% for JFM overall) and 20 ± 9%, - 3 ± 10%, and - 10 ± 9%, respectively, in 2022 (2 ± 9% for JFM overall). These results suggest that the FFCO2 emissions from China rebounded to the normal level or set a new high record in early 2021 after a reduction during the COVID-19 lockdown. In addition, the estimated reduction in March 2022 might be attributed to the influence of a new wave of COVID-19 infections in Shanghai.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40645-023-00542-6.

Dataset Information

Sustained growth of sulfur hexafluoride emissions in China inferred from atmospheric observations.

Publications

Sustained growth of sulfur hexafluoride emissions in China inferred from atmospheric observations.

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