Global and Regional Anthropogenic Sulfur Dioxide Emissions
Steven J. Smith, Hugh Pitcher
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Washington, DC
T. M. L. Wigley
National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado
We present a new inventory of global sulfur dioxide emissions from anthropogenic
activities for the years 1980-2000. Emissions were estimated in 11 world regions
using country-level emissions inventories and regional fossil-fuel sulfur content
information. Estimated global emissions in 1990 are 72 TgS with an estimated
uncertainty of ±8%, assuming independent errors. We estimate that 56% of 1990
world emissions are from coal, 23% from oil, 15% from industrial processes, 3% from
biomass burning. When our results are compared with other studies they are similar
at the global-mean level, but show marked differences at the regional level.
Globally, emissions have been roughly constant from 1980 to the present. However, a
significant shift has occurred in the spatial distribution of emissions. While 60%
of global emissions in 1980 were from around the North Atlantic basin, this region
contributed less than 40% of the global total by 1995 and will contribute even less
in the future. Currently, based on our estimates, the Centrally Planned Asia
region, dominated by China, is the largest contributor to global sulfur dioxide
emissions. A gridded dataset for 1990 emissions is also produced, including a
consistent seasonal cycle and a stratification of emissions into low and elevated
releases.
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Hongjun Zhang:
zhangho@ucar.edu