meeting the needs of inventory data users: the uk perspective

Ricardo-AEA

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Task Force on Emissions Inventories and Projections Workshop 13 May 2013

Ross Hunter

Meeting the Needs of Inventory Data Users: The UK Perspective

© Ricardo-AEA LtdRicardo-AEA in Confidence2

• An overview of the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) compilation process

• How requirements being placed upon the NAEI are increasing and diversifying

• How the NAEI is being developed to respond to these new requirements – with a more detailed look at recent work to enhance data for modellers

• An overview for how the compilation framework could evolve to meet the different needs of widening number of NAEI data users

What we will cover


• Consortium led by Ricardo-AEA – a task we have been doing now for over 20 years

• Supported by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (LULUCF), Rothamstead research (agriculture), Aether (rail and projections), SKM-Enviros (industrial emissions and F-gases) and Amec (projections)

• Compile the Air Quality Pollutant and Greenhouse Gas Inventories on behalf of UK Government (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC))

• Data for the UK and disaggregated to constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) Team for the UK


An Overview of the NAEI Compilation Process


• Historic focus on fulfilling international reporting requirements only

• NAEI data increasingly sought for other purposes– High level atmospheric

emissions target tracking

– Supporting policy development

– Modelling

Requirements Placed Upon the NAEI are Evolving

Source: UK Climate Change Committee (2013)


• Bottom up vs. top down

• Less accuracy in spatial and sector disaggregation

• Lack of available input data (particularly activity data)

• Limited detail of key input datasets

• Methodological restrictions for using data

• One dimensional data – focused on producing annual total emissions to satisfy international reporting obligations

Difficulties for the NAEI in responding to these additional requirements


Case study: Improving usefulness of NAEI data for air quality modelling


Models - Dispersion

-Transport

- Chemical Conversion

- Deposition

Meteorology

Emissions (NAEI)

Atmospheric Processes

- Chemistry

- Deposition

Air quality modelling in the UK: Inputs and Outputs

CMAQ

All pollutants (NO2, PM, O3)

Deposition

OSRM

O3

UKAAQA

PM10, PM2.5, NOx, NO2, SO2, Benzene, BaP, Ozone, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and

lead

Wider Modelling Community

All pollutants


• Models illustrate different answers/outputs when analysing the same scenario or asking the same questions

• Highlighted during intercomparison exercise involving major air pollution models used by the UK Government

• Several reasons for this – but one is due to differences in emissions data used

• Found that modellers use NAEI data in different ways– Using different ‘method’ years– Use different time-stamped spatial

mapped data– Use different assumptions to update or

apply additional profiles (e.g. temporal) to data

Issues associated with the use of emissions data in modelling

NO emissions for 3 models in the grid cell at London Eltham monitoring site


• Why is this happening?– The modelling community does not

understand enough about the NAEI compilation process and resultant data ‘products’

– NAEI data is not made available in way or format to enable uniform use across the modelling community

• This is something that DEFRA are keen to address

Issues associated with the use of emissions data in modelling


Programme of work to address this

• Historic gridded data updated with latest inventory year method, also scaling factors for other years

• Producing/updating Temporal emissions profiles

• Biogenic emissions

• Stack emissions database update

• Primary NO2 from non-road transport sources


Example analysis: Temporal Profiles• Wide-ranging review of temporal data

across all emissions sectors

• Availability of data very variable – some sectors very detailed others no data at all

• Good data available for electricity generation sector – able to generate hourly, weekly and monthly profiles

• Can be applied to emissions data used in modelling

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 240.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

SO2 NOX PM10

Hour

Re

lati

ve

em

iss

ion

M T W T F S S0.00

0.04

0.08

0.12

0.16

0.20 SO2 NOX PM10

Day

Re

lati

ve

em

iss

ion

J F M A M J J A S O N D0.00

0.04

0.08

0.12

0.16

0.20SO2 NOX PM10

Month

Re

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ion


(See http://naei.defra.gov.uk/)

Disseminating new data ‘products’ to the modelling community

• Output from the tasks include a range of data, scaling factors, methods, tools

• Consult/discuss with stakeholders to ensure that new outputs fulfil their requirements and to make them aware of new data.

• Use or adapt NAEI website to make new data and information available

• Must complement NAEI data and not compete against it.

• Will be a ‘live’ process to account for new requirements and updating


How does the existing NAEI framework need to change to meet wider user requirements? • Driven by wider user dependence

on NAEI data

• More closely linked with the policy cycle and its evidence requirements

• Not bound by strict international reporting requirements

• Data products not all directly related or comparable – cannot be ‘added up’ to produce UK total emissions

• Not just emissions data – tools, methods and factors are products too

• Built upon existing NAEI platform and expertise

• CLRTAP and UNFCCC compliant data still compiled

New Data

Inputs

• Focused on supporting new data outputs

• More bottom-up data• From policy

development/implementation• Can have more limited spatial

coverage

New Data

Outputs

• A range of new data ‘products’ to meet a range of new user requirements

• High level targets on reducing atmospheric emissions

• Data to support development, implementation and tracking of policies

• Additional information for modellers


Revised view of the Inventory Compilation Process


• Requirements being placed on data for the NAEI are expanding well beyond its ‘traditional’ remit for solely reporting against international obligations

• Inventory data is becoming increasingly more crucial as an evidence base to support the development and tracking of policies and targets – some of which are very high profile

• Inventory compilers realise we have to respond to this – and whilst some steps have been taken to address these requirements we realise there is more to do

• Seeking to expand the NAEI framework to produce a wider series of more focused data products is a way to address this

• However, careful and considered development is required to avoid confusion and maintain integrity of NAEI data

• Effective presentation and communication of new data products is also vital

Conclusions

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Ricardo-AEA LtdThe Gemini BuildingFermi AvenueHarwell, Didcot, OX11 0QRUnited Kingdom

Dr Ross Hunter

01235 75 [email protected]

meeting the needs of inventory data users: the uk perspective

Documents

uk ricardoaea ltdricardoaea

usefulness of naei data

emissions data usedfound

needs of inventory data

emissions inventories

dataone dimensional

different answersoutputs

uk climate change committee