Changes in Emissions in Megacities during the Past Decades: Impact on the Distribution of Atmospheric Compounds

Abstract:

The surface emissions of atmospheric compounds have changed dramatically in many world regions during the past decades. We will evaluate these changes through an analysis of different global and regional anthropogenic emissions inventories, focusing on several megacities. In European and North American megacities, surface emissions of chemical compounds have decreased significantly, while they have increased in many other megacities in different parts of the world.

Simulations performed with the CAM4-Chem Community Earth System Model will be used to evaluate the impact of the changes in emissions on the distributions chemical compounds in different megacities. These simulations were performed as part of the Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative (CCMI), a project of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project (IGAC). The analysis of the simulations will focus more particularly on nitrogen dioxide: this species has been observed by satellite measurements since the late 1990s. Model results and satellite observations will be analysed for everal megacities in Europe and North America, where strong emission controls have been implemented. Other megacities in China, India, Africa and South America, where few emission regulations have been enforced have seen large increases in their emissions: we will evaluate the consistency of the model simulations and satellite observations of NO₂ in these cities.