Air pollutants and greenhouse gases emission inventory for power plants in the Antarctic

• Main Author: Kakareka, Sergey
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2020
• Subjects: Atmosphere; Energy; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Advances in Polar Science; Antarc*; Antarctica; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2737/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2737/1/A202004005.pdf

Emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in Antarctica from power plants with diesel generators (the main sources of energy at Antarctic research stations and the main stationary sources of anthropogenic emissions in the Antarctic) were assessed. A bottom-up approach was used to compile an emission inventory for the Antarctic. This involved estimating emissions at various spatial levels by sequentially aggregating estimate emissions from point emission sources. This is the first time this approach has been proposed and used. Emissions of CO2, NOx, particulate matter (PM10), and CO in the modern period were estimated at the research station, geographic region, natural domain, biogeographic region, continent section, and whole continent scales. Yearly emissions are presented here, but the approach allows emissions at different averaging periods to be estimated. This means mean or maximum yearly, monthly, daily, or hourly emissions can be estimated. The estimates could be used to model pollutant transmission and dispersion, assess the impacts of pollutants, and develop emission forecasts for various scenarios.