open access publication

Article, 2024

Improved biomass burning emissions from 1750 to 2010 using ice core records and inverse modeling

Nature Communications, ISSN 2041-1723, Volume 15, 1, Page 3651, 10.1038/s41467-024-47864-7

Contributors

Zhang, Bingqing [1] Chellman, Nathan J [2] Kaplan, Jed Oliver 0000-0001-9919-7613 [3] Mickley, Loretta J [4] Ito, Takamitsu [1] Wang, Xuan [5] Wensman, Sophia M 0000-0002-3830-6510 [2] Mccrimmon, Drake O 0000-0003-2620-1874 [2] Steffensen, Jørgen Peder 0000-0002-5516-1093 [6] Mcconnell, Joseph Robert 0000-0001-9051-5240 [2] Liu, Pengfei F 0000-0001-7280-9720 (Corresponding author) [1]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Georgia Institute of Technology
    2. [NORA names: United States; America, North; OECD];
  2. [2] Desert Research Institute
    3. [NORA names: United States; America, North; OECD];
  3. [3] University of Calgary
    4. [NORA names: Canada; America, North; OECD];
  4. [4] Harvard University
    5. [NORA names: United States; America, North; OECD];
  5. [5] City University of Hong Kong
    6. [NORA names: China; Asia, East];

Abstract

Estimating fire emissions prior to the satellite era is challenging because observations are limited, leading to large uncertainties in the calculated aerosol climate forcing following the preindustrial era. This challenge further limits the ability of climate models to accurately project future climate change. Here, we reconstruct a gridded dataset of global biomass burning emissions from 1750 to 2010 using inverse analysis that leveraged a global array of 31 ice core records of black carbon deposition fluxes, two different historical emission inventories as a priori estimates, and emission-deposition sensitivities simulated by the atmospheric chemical transport model GEOS-Chem. The reconstructed emissions exhibit greater temporal variabilities which are more consistent with paleoclimate proxies. Our ice core constrained emissions reduced the uncertainties in simulated cloud condensation nuclei and aerosol radiative forcing associated with the discrepancy in preindustrial biomass burning emissions. The derived emissions can also be used in studies of ocean and terrestrial biogeochemistry.

Keywords

GEOS-Chem, aerosol, aerosol climate, aerosol radiative forcing, analysis, array, biogeochemistry, biomass, biomass burning emissions, burning emissions, changes, chemical transport model GEOS-Chem, climate, climate change, climate models, cloud condensation nuclei, condensation nuclei, constrain emissions, core records, dataset, deposition fluxes, discrepancy, emission, emission inventories, era, estimation, fire, fire emissions, flux, force, future climate change, global array, global biomass burning emissions, historical emission inventories, ice, ice core records, inventory, inverse analysis, inverse model, model, nucleus, observations, ocean, paleoclimate proxies, preindustrial era, project future climate change, proxies, radiative forcing, reconstructed emission, records, satellite, satellite era, sensitivity, studies of oceans, study, temporal variability, terrestrial biogeochemistry, uncertainty, variables

Funders

  • Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
  • Directorate for Geosciences
  • Australian Antarctic Division
  • British Antarctic Survey
  • Georgia Institute of Technology

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