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Updated: May 13, 2025
Characterization, Quantification and Compound-specific Isotopic Analysis of Pyrogenic Carbon Using Benzene Polycarboxylic Acids BPCA
Published on: May 16, 2016
High-resolution inventory of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from wildfires in China
Shijie Song1, Tao Huang2, Liangliang Huang1
1Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control Theory and Technology, University Engineering Research Center of Watershed Protection and Green Development, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541006, PR China.
Abstract:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are a class of global environmental pollutants, to which wildfire emissions are important contributors. However, research estimating wildfire PAH emissions in China remains limited, particularly regarding historical trends and spatial distribution. This study employs a bottom-up approach to analyze the temporal variations in PAH emissions from wildfires across China from 2001 to 2023, integrating satellite data, emission factors, and aboveground biomass data for forests, shrubs, and grasslands. The results show that wildfires in China emitted a total of 4080 tons of PAHs from 2001 to 2023, averaging about 177.5 tons annually. Forest fires contributed the largest wildfire PAH emissions from 2001 to 2023 at 75.0 %, followed by grass fires (17.6 %) and shrub fires (7.4 %). The PAH emissions from forest and grassland fires exhibited a downward trend, with a decline of 4.5 and 0.9 tons per year from 2001 to 2023, whereas the emissions from shrub fires did not exhibit obvious change. Furthermore, seasonal variations in PAH emissions were predominantly observed in February, March, and April, collectively accounting for approximately two-thirds of total emissions, primarily attributed to the dry weather conditions and the accumulation of combustible materials in spring. Geographically, high PAH emissions from wildfires were mainly concentrated in the northern and northeastern regions of China, contributing 55.8 % of the total emissions. In addition, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil moisture are primary influencing factors of wildfire PAH emissions, which are mainly given that soil moisture is conducive to vegetation growth and these two factors increased the frequency of wildfires. This study highlights the temporal and spatial variations in PAH emissions from wildfires in China, and the environmental and health impacts of wildfire PAH should be investigated in the future.
