Deriving High-Resolution Emission Inventory of Open Biomass Burning in China based on Satellite Observations

Open biomass burning plays an important role in atmospheric pollution and in climate change. However, the current emission inventory of open biomass burning is generally of highly uncertainty because of missing small fire data and limited resolution because of the lack of localized vegetation data. In this study, the MODIS (MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) burned area product MCD64Al combined with the active fire product MCD14 ML, as well as a high-resolution land cover data set, were applied to develop a high-resolution emission inventory of open biomass burning in China in 2013. Total CO, CH₄, NO_x, NMVOC (nonmethane volatile organic compounds), SO₂, NH₃, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, OC (organic carbon), BC (black carbon), and CO₂ emissions were estimated to be 1.03 × 10⁴, 666, 536, 1.91 × 10³, 87, 138, 1.45 × 10³, 2.09 × 10³, 741, 137, and 2.45 × 10⁵ Gg, respectively. The provinces that contributed the most emissions included Heilongjiang, Henan, Shandong, and Jilin. The major source for all pollutants was cropland burning, whereas Xizang, Xinjiang, and Heilongjiang had greater emissions from natural vegetation. The temporal distribution of average provincial emissions showed that the peaks were in June and October. This study updated the emission information that may support future research and policy-making on air pollution control and GHG emission abatement.