Calculations of long-range transported sulphur and nitrogen over Europe

Abstract

The ECE Executive Body for the convention on long-range transboundary air pollution has included the estimation of transboundary nitrogen oxides into the EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme). A model aimed at this estimation has been developed. The model is Lagrangian and includes the chemistry for 10 components. Model-estimated budgets for deposition of oxidized sulphur and oxidized and reduced nitrogen in Poland and Norway in 1985 are presented. The calculations show that Poland emitted about twice as much as was received of each of these three components. Norway emitted much less (25%) sulphur than was received and about the same amount of nitrogen compounds. For sulphur and reduced nitrogen, more than half of the deposition in Poland was due to internal emissions, while the corresponding figures for Norway were about 5 and 25%, respectively. For oxidised nitrogen, about 25% of the depositions in Poland originated from Poland and 20% from the Federal Republic of Germany. In Norway, about 10% of the depositions of oxidised nitrogen are due to Norwegian emissions. The budget reflects the fact that sulphur depositions in Europe are dominated by Eastern Europe emissions, while depositions of oxidised nitrogen are dominated by Western European emissions.