Project Structure

WP1: Emissions

WP2: Observations

WP3: Sensitivity Studies

WP4: Reanalysis Simulations

WP5: Policy and Impacts

 

RETRO Work Package 1: Emissions and Model Boundary Conditions

Long-term changes in tropospheric trace gas concentrations are primarily controlled by changes in the emissions of these gases or their precursors. An important objective of the RETRO project was therefore to reconstruct the regional and global emission trends over the past 40 years. The focus was placed on emissions from fossil fuel and biofuel combustion ("anthropogenic") emissions on the one hand and emissions from open vegetation burning ("fires") on the other hand.

 

The methodologies that were to be used to generate the necessary emissions data are described in the planning document (D1-1). The report on emissions (D1-6) describes the tools and data sets used and summarizes and evaluates the results. Anthropogenic emissions were calculated with the TEAM (TNO Emission Assessment Model). Emissions from vegetation fires were estimated based on a comprehensive literature review (see manuscript Schultz et al., 2007, submitted to GBC on the articles page).

 

All RETRO emissions data can be freely accessed here.

 

Global map of NOx emissions for 1970 (click to enlarge figure)

Interannual variability of carbon emissions from wildland fires (click to enlarge figure)