Dataset Information

Pinpointing nitrogen oxide emissions from space.

ABSTRACT: Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) provide valuable information on the location and strength of NO _x emissions, but spatial resolution is limited by horizontal transport and smearing of temporal averages due to changing wind fields. In this study, we map NO _x emissions on high spatial resolution from TROPOMI observations of NO₂ combined with wind fields based on the continuity equation. The divergence of horizontal fluxes proves to be highly sensitive for point sources like exhaust stacks. Thus, NO _x emissions from individual power plants can be resolved and quantified even on top of considerably high urban pollution from the Saudi Arabian capital city Riyadh. This allows us to catalog NO _x emissions from large point sources globally, as demonstrated for South Africa and Germany, with a detection limit of about 0.11 kg/s down to 0.03 kg/s for ideal conditions.

SUBMITTER: Beirle S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6853767 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pinpointing nitrogen oxide emissions from space.

Beirle Steffen S Borger Christian C Dörner Steffen S Li Ang A Hu Zhaokun Z Liu Fei F Wang Yang Y Wagner Thomas T

Science advances 20191113 11

Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) provide valuable information on the location and strength of NO x emissions, but spatial resolution is limited by horizontal transport and smearing of temporal averages due to changing wind fields. In this study, we map NO x emissions on high spatial resolution from TROPOMI observations of NO2 combined with wind fields based on the continuity equation. The divergence of horizontal fluxes pr ...[more]

PMID: 31763456

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Project description:Electricity production is a major source of air pollutants in the U.S. Policies to reduce these emissions typically result in the power industry choosing to apply controls or switch to fuels with lower combustion emissions. However, the life-cycle emissions associated with various fuels can differ considerably, potentially impacting the effectiveness of fuel switching. Life-cycle emissions include emissions from extracting, processing, transporting, and distributing fuels, as well as manufacturing and constructing new generating capacity. The field of life-cycle analysis allows quantification of these emissions. While life-cycle emissions are often considered in greenhouse gas mitigation targets, they generally have not been included in air quality policymaking. We demonstrate such an approach, examining a hypothetical electric sector emission reduction target for nitrogen oxides (NOx) using the Global Change Assessment Model with U.S. state-level resolution. When only power plant emissions are considered in setting a NOx emission reduction target, fuel switching leads to an increase in upstream emissions that offsets 5% of the targeted reductions in 2050. When fuel extraction, processing, and transport emissions are included under the reduction target, accounting for 20% of overall NOx reduction goal, the resulting control strategy meets the required reductions and does so at 35% lower cost by 2050. However, manufacturing and construction emissions increase and offset up to 7% of NOx reductions in electric sector, indicating that it may be beneficial to consider these sources as well. Assuming no legal obstacles exist, life-cycle-based approaches could be implemented by allowing industry to earn reduction credits for reducing upstream emissions. We discuss some of the limitations of such an approach, including the difficulty in identifying the location of upstream emissions, which may occur across regulatory authorities or even outside of the U.S.

Project description:Few studies have assessed the common, yet unproven, hypothesis that an increase of plant nitrogen (N) uptake and/or recovery efficiency (NRE) will reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emission during crop production. Understanding the relationships between N2O emissions and crop N uptake and use efficiency parameters can help inform crop N management recommendations for both efficiency and environmental goals. Analyses were conducted to determine which of several commonly used crop N uptake-derived parameters related most strongly to growing season N2O emissions under varying N management practices in North American maize systems. Nitrogen uptake-derived variables included total aboveground N uptake (TNU), grain N uptake (GNU), N recovery efficiency (NRE), net N balance (NNB) in relation to GNU [NNB(GNU)] and TNU [NNB(TNU)], and surplus N (SN). The relationship between N2O and N application rate was sigmoidal with relatively small emissions for N rates <130 kg ha-1, and a sharp increase for N rates from 130 to 220 kg ha-1; on average, N2O increased linearly by about 5 g N per kg of N applied for rates up to 220 kg ha-1. Fairly strong and significant negative relationships existed between N2O and NRE when management focused on N application rate (r2 = 0.52) or rate and timing combinations (r2 = 0.65). For every percentage point increase, N2O decreased by 13 g N ha-1 in response to N rates, and by 20 g N ha-1 for NRE changes in response to rate-by-timing treatments. However, more consistent positive relationships (R2 = 0.73-0.77) existed between N2O and NNB(TNU), NNB(GNU), and SN, regardless of rate and timing of N application; on average N2O emission increased by about 5, 7, and 8 g N, respectively, per kg increase of NNB(GNU), NNB(TNU), and SN. Neither N source nor placement influenced the relationship between N2O and NRE. Overall, our analysis indicated that a careful selection of appropriate N rate applied at the right time can both increase NRE and reduce N2O. However, N2O reduction benefits of optimum N rate-by-timing practices were achieved most consistently with management systems that reduced NNB through an increase of grain N removal or total plant N uptake relative to the total fertilizer N applied to maize. Future research assessing crop or N management effects on N2O should include N uptake parameter measurements to better understand N2O emission relationships to plant NRE and N uptake.

Dataset Information

Pinpointing nitrogen oxide emissions from space.

Publications

Pinpointing nitrogen oxide emissions from space.

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