Atmospheric Emissions of Nitrogen

	Author: Jerzy Bartnicki, EMEP MSC-W

Key message

Annual atmospheric emissions of nitrogen oxides and annual emissions of ammonia from the HELCOM countries are slightly lower in 2000 than in 1996.

Assessment

Emissions from outside the Baltic Sea region add to the nitrogen loads entering the Baltic, as do emissions from ships. In 1990, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from international shipping traffic were estimated to account for approximately 10-20% of the total nitrogen deposition entering the Baltic Sea. No estimates are currently available for trends in these emissions.

For most of the countries, no clear temporal pattern can be seen in the period 1996-2000. Taking into account uncertanties of information about the emissions from the international ship traffic, it is not possible to detect significant reduction trend for the emissions from the Baltic Sea region in the years 1996-2000.

To enlarge, click the image!

Figure 1: Map of annual atmospheric emissions of nitrogen oxides from individual HELCOM countries in the period 1996 - 2000.Units: ktonnes/yr.

Note: different scales for different countries!

In all these countries emissions are lower in 2000 than in 1996 with the most significant drop of nitrogen oxides emissions in Denmark - 32%. Monotone reduction, in the considered period, can be noticed in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Poland, whereas some ups and downs are visible in emissions from Russian Federation, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Emissions of nitrogen oxides from the international ship traffic on the Baltic Sea are not shown in Figure 1 because they are not available for the period 1996-2000. Available annual ship emissions in 1990 are of the same order as emissions from Denmark for the same year.

Similar map for annual emissions of ammonia from all HELCOM countries, in the period 1996-2000 is shown in Figure 2. Also for ammonia, emissions in all HELCOM countries are lower in 1996 than in 2000, however, differences are smaller than in the case of nitrogen oxides.

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Figure 2: Map of annual atmospheric emissions of ammonia from individual HELCOM countries in the period 1996 - 2000. Units: ktonnes/yr.

Note: different scales for different countries!

Both for nitrogen oxides and ammonia, presented emissions from the Russian Federation is from the entire country (not only from the part shown in the map). References

For more information

Atmospheric Supply of Nitrogen, Lead, Cadmium, Mercury and Lindane to the Baltic Sea in the period 1996 - 2000