Decreasing trends of ammonia emissions over Europe seen from remote sensing and inverse modelling

Abstract 3), a significant precursor of particulate matter, affects not only biodiversity, ecosystems, and soil acidification but also climate and human health. In addition, its concentrations are constantly rising due to increasing feeding needs and the large use of fertilization and animal farming. Despite the significance of ammonia, its emissions are associated with large uncertainties, while its atmospheric abundance is difficult to measure. Nowadays, satellite products can effectively measure ammonia with low uncertainty and a global coverage. Here, we use satellite observations of column ammonia in combination with an inversion algorithm to derive ammonia emissions with a high resolution over Europe for the period 2013–2020. Ammonia emissions peak in northern Europe due to agricultural application and livestock management, in western Europe (industrial activity), and over Spain (pig farming). Emissions have decreased by - + - - - - 7.6 %). When complemented with ground observations, modelled concentrations using the posterior emissions showed improved statistics, also following the observed seasonal trends. The posterior emissions presented here also agree well with respective estimates reported in the literature and inferred from bottom-up and top-down methodologies. These results indicate that satellite measurements combined with inverse algorithms constitute a robust tool for emission estimates and can infer the evolution of ammonia emissions over large timescales.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Decreasing trends of ammonia emissions over Europe seen from remote sensing and inverse modelling ; volume:23 ; number:24 ; year:2023 ; pages:15235-15252 ; extent:18 ; Atmospheric chemistry and physics ; 23, Heft 24 (2023), 15235-15252 (gesamt 18)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Tichý, Ondřej ; Eckhardt, Sabine ; Balkanski, Yves ; Hauglustaine, Didier ; Evangeliou, Nikolaos

Further information

• DOI: 10.5194/acp-23-15235-2023
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023122103313850616419
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:28 AM CEST