Anthropogenic fugitive, combustion and industrial dust is a significant, underrepresented fine particulate matter source in global atmospheric models

Abstract

Global measurements of the elemental composition of fine particulate matter across several urban locations by the Surface Particulate Matter Network reveal an enhanced fraction of anthropogenic dust compared to natural dust sources, especially over Asia. We develop a global simulation of anthropogenic fugitive, combustion, and industrial dust which, to our knowledge, is partially missing or strongly underrepresented in global models. We estimate 2-16 mg m À3 increase in fine particulate mass concentration across East and South Asia by including anthropogenic fugitive, combustion, and industrial dust emissions. A simulation including anthropogenic fugitive, combustion, and industrial dust emissions increases the correlation from 0.06 to 0.66 of simulated fine dust in comparison with Surface Particulate Matter Network measurements at 13 globally dispersed locations, and reduces the low bias by 10% in total fine particulate mass in comparison with global in situ observations. Global population-weighted PM 2.5 increases by 2.9 mg m À3 (10%). Our assessment ascertains the urgent need of including this underrepresented fine anthropogenic dust source into global bottom-up emission inventories and global models.

Impacts of air pollutants from fire and non-fire emissions on the regional air quality in Southeast Asia

“…As mentioned before, Philip et al (2017) have pointed out that global atmospheric models can produce a 2-16 µg m −3 underestimation in fine particulate mass concentration across East and South Asia and most current global emission inventories indeed either do not include anthropogenic fugitive and industrial dusts or substantially underestimate the quantities of these emissions (Klimont et al, 2016;Janssens-Maenhout et al, 2015). The fugitive dust sources, such as road and construction dust, in most major cities in Southeast Asia are apparently not well represented in the emission inventory used in our study.…”

“…Available data in the SPARTAN network include hourly PM 2.5 concentrations and certain compositional features (Table S2). Crustal matters and residual matters, which are mainly organic components, from filtered PM 2.5 samples are used in this study to fill the gap in modeled PM 2.5 created by the missing anthropogenic aerosol in emission inventory (Philip et al, 2017). The four operational SPARTAN sites in Southeast Asia are Bandung (Indonesia), Hanoi (Vietnam), Manila (Philippines), and Singapore.…”

“…This discrepancy between modeled and observed background PM 10 concentration could come from either the relatively coarse resolution of the model or the underestimation of primary aerosol/ aerosol precursor emissions, or both. Philip et al (2017) indicated that most global emission inventories do not include anthropogenic fugitive, combustion, and industrial dust (AFCID) from urban sources, typically including fly ash from coal combustion and industrial processes (e.g., iron and steel production, cement production), resuspension from paved and unpaved roads, mining, quarrying, and agricultural operations, and road-residential- commercial construction. In their study, they estimated a 2-16 µg m −3 increase in fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) concentration across East and South Asia simply by including AFCID emission.…”

Global anthropogenic emissions of particulate matter including black carbon

“…This total fine PM mass has been typically estimated as BC + 1.4 · OC 16 , and only recently have a number of models included more detailed aerosol schemes accounting for varying BC / OC ratios while still largely neglecting the anthropogenic dust component (e.g. Philip et al, 2017). Combining such estimates with windblown dust and open biomass fires to arrive at the total PM 2.5 might be sufficient 16 The value of 1.4 is the most commonly used OM / OC ratio (Aiken et al, 2008).…”

Source influence on emission pathways and ambient PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution over India (2015–2050)

“…Primary particulate matter is largely composed of carbonaceous constituents 30 (black carbon and organic matter) and mineral matter. Mineral matter from combustion and industry are calculated as the difference between emitted PM2.5 mass and the sum of black carbon and organic matter, each calculated from respective emission factors and lumped along with urban fugitive dust, evaluated in a previous study (Philip et al 2017), are termed anthropogenic fugitive dust or ADST. For sensitivity simulations, the total coal-related emissions, industrial coal-related Atmos.…”