Quantification and evaluation of atmospheric emissions from crop residue burning constrained by satellite observations in China during 2016-2020

In rural regions of China, crop residue burning (CRB) is the major biomass burning activity, which can result in massive emissions of atmospheric particulate, greenhouse gas, and trace gas pollutants. Based on Himawari-8 satellite fire radiative power and agricultural statistics data, we implemented a daily inventory of agricultural fire emissions in 2016-2020 with a 2-km spatial resolution, including atmospheric pollutants such as CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, NOX, NH3, SO2, PM10, PM2.5, Hg, OC, EC, and NMVOCs. Our inventory constrained by geostationary satellite monitoring is more consistent with the actual CRB emissions in China, as many flaring events occur surreptitiously in the early morning and late evening to avoid regulation, which may be overlooked by polar-orbiting satellites. The spatiotemporal characterizations of various CRB emissions are found to be consistent with multiple satellite trace gas retrievals. We also assessed the effectiveness of field burning bans in China. Combined with other relevant datasets, it was found that although China has been advocating for a long time not to burn straw in the open field, CRB emissions was not successfully controlled nationwide until 2016. We estimated that the cumulative reduction of CO2 CRB emissions alone amounts to 809 +/- 651 (2 sigma) teragram (Tg) during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), with an average value equivalent to 1.2 times the total annual territorial CO2 emissions by fossil fuels from Germany in 2021 (675 Tg, ranked 1st in EU27 and 7th in the world). Our inventory also suggests that continuous, long-term controls are necessary. Otherwise, CRB emissions may only be delayed on a seasonal scale, rather than reduced.

Automated summary

Crop residue burning in rural regions of China is a major source of biomass burning and contributes to significant atmospheric pollution. Using satellite and agricultural data, we created an inventory of agricultural fire emissions from 2016 to 2020, which revealed the effectiveness of geostationary satellite monitoring in accurately measuring actual burning emissions in China. Additionally, our study assessed the impact of field burning bans in China, emphasizing the need for continuous, long-term controls to effectively reduce emissions.