Comparison of emissions inventories of anthropogenic air pollutants in Asia with a special focus on China's transport sector

We assessed four emissions inventories of Asian anthropogenic emissions for the 2000-2010 time period, with a special focus on China's transport sector. The species we studied are carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10), black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC). The inventories we reviewed include Regional Emission inventory in ASia version 2.1 (REAS), Multi-resolution Emissions Inventory for China (MEIC), Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research version 4.2 (EDGAR), and the one by Yu Zhao. We compared spatial distributions and analyzed differences in national total emissions as well as from the transport sector among inventories. We also focused on key regions and cities, such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and the Yangtze River delta regions. Large disagreements among the four inventories are found in the PM2.5 and PM10 emissions from China's heavy-duty and motorcycle emissions, and these discrepancies are visible even at the provincial levels.