Hourly emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases from open biomass burning in China during 2016–2020

Abstract

Open biomass burning (OBB) is a significant source of air pollutants and greenhouse gases that have contributed to air pollution episodes in China in recent years. An accurate emission inventory is critical for the precise control of OBB. Existing OBB emission datasets are commonly based on MODIS observations, and most only have a daily-scale temporal resolution. Daily OBB emissions, however, might not accurately represent diurnal variations, peak hours, or any open burning processes. The China Hourly Open Biomass Burning Emissions (CHOBE) dataset for mainland China from 2016 to 2020 was developed in this study using the spatiotemporal fusion of multiple active fires from MODIS, VIIRS S-NPP and Himawari-8 AHI detections. At a spatial resolution of 2 km, CHOBE provided gridded CO, NOx, SO2, NH3, VOCs, PM2.5, CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from OBB. CHOBE will enhance insight into OBB spatiotemporal variability, improves air quality and climate modelling and forecasting, and aids in the formulation of precise OBB preventive and control measures.