Anthropogenic sulfur dioxide emissions: 1850–2005
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Abstract
Abstract. Sulfur aerosols impact human health, ecosystems, agriculture, and global and regional climate. A new annual estimate of anthropogenic global and regional sulfur dioxide emissions has been constructed spanning the period 1850–2005 using a bottom-up mass balance method, calibrated to country-level inventory data. Global emissions peaked in the early 1970s and decreased until 2000, with an increase in recent years due to increased emissions in China, international shipping, and developing countries in general. An uncertainty analysis was conducted including both random and systemic uncertainties. The overall global uncertainty in sulfur dioxide emissions is relatively small, but regional uncertainties ranged up to 30%. The largest contributors to uncertainty at present are emissions from China and international shipping. Emissions were distributed on a 0.5° grid by sector for use in coordinated climate model experiments.
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Unprecedented concentrations of pollutants have driven both historic cooling and amplified recent warming in the Arctic.
“Unprecedented concentrations of pollutants (McConnell et al ., 2007; Smith et al ., 2011) have driven both historic cooling and amplified recent warming in the Arctic (Acosta Navarro et al ., 2016).”
From Ecological and conceptual consequences of Arctic pollution (2020) · cites this paper as Smith et al., 2011
Smith et al. is cited for the pollutant-concentrations clause, not the Arctic cooling and warming clause, which cites Acosta Navarro et al. The Introduction reports greatly increased atmospheric sulfate loadings, and §4.1 documents a large historical rise in sulfur dioxide emissions. It does not establish unprecedented concentrations of pollutants generally. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Smith, S. J., van Aardenne, J., Klimont, Z., Andres, R. J., Volke, A., & Delgado Arias, S.
- Affiliations
- Joint Global Change Research Institute (US)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
- Venue
- Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
- Publisher
- Copernicus GmbH
- Published
- 2011-02-09
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1101-1116
- ISSN
- 1680-7316 (ISSN-L)
- 1680-7324
- OpenAlex
- W2147073553
- Cited by
- 951
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 33 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 51 · 2023: 57 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 69 · 2019: 77 · 2018: 79 · 2017: 69 · 2016: 71 · 2015: 45 · 2014: 82 · 2013: 74 · 2012: 35
- FWCI
- 42.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Atmospheric chemistry and physics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Joint Research Centre (European Commission) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Office of Science
- Biological and Environmental Research
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Maritime Transport Emissions and Efficiency
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Industrial Gas Emission Control
- Keywords
- sulfur dioxide emissions, anthropogenic emissions, sulfur aerosols, uncertainty analysis, international shipping emissions, China emissions, regional emissions
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