Abstract

Gaseous ammonia plays a crucial role in the earth’s atmosphere. Major sources of atmospheric ammonia include agriculture and fires. As the climate continues to change, the pattern of fires across the US will also change, leading to changes in ammonia emissions. This study examines four major science questions using satellite and in-situ data from 2010–2014: (1) How have concentrations of ammonia changed across the US? (2) How have the strength and frequency of fires changed? (3) How has this change in fires impacted ammonia emissions? (4) How does the US EPA NEI compare with the calculated emissions? Satellite and in-situ data were used to evaluate the annual concentrations of ammonia and to calculate the total ammonia emissions across the continental US. The results of this study showed that ammonia concentrations have slightly increased over the five-year period. The total fire number and the average fire radiative power have decreased, while the total yearly burn area has increased. The calculated ammonia emissions from fires on a national scale show an increasing trend and when compared with the US EPA NEI for ammonia emissions from fires, annual ammonia emissions are, on average, a factor of 0.49 higher than the NEI.

Highlights

  • Ammonia (NH3) is an important gas in the atmosphere

  • NH3 emissions from fires account for approximately 8% of all NH3 emissions in the continental United States

  • The total burn area per year has increased through this time, which suggests that fires are increasing in size, but decreasing in power

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Ammonia (NH3) is an important gas in the atmosphere. NH3 reacts with sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids to form ammonium sulfate, ammonium bisulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium chloride aerosols which contribute to fine particulate matter [1,2,3,4,5]. The 1st International Electronic Conference on Atmospheric Sciences (ECAS 2016), 16–31 July 2016; Sciforum Electronic Conference Series, Vol 1, 2016 associated with elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter, such as chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, irregular heartbeat, other cardiovascular and respiratory issues and even death [6,7,8] Fine particulate matter is associated with a number of environmental impacts, such as reducing visibility and changing the earth’s radiational balance [7,8,9,10]. With decreasing concentrations of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides in the atmosphere, the partitioning between gas and particle phase for ammonia and ammonium will be altered [11,12]. Ammonia plays a role in the formation of nitrous oxide, which is a major greenhouse gas

Objectives
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.