The use of satellite observations of fire radiative power to estimate the availabilities (activity patterns) of pyrometallurgical smelters

Abstract

Pyrometallurgical smelters consume significant amounts of fossil fuels. Notwithstanding emission abatement technologies, these smelters emit various gaseous pollutants and fine particulate matter, which are important from an air quality perspective. Additionally, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and black carbon (BC), the two most important atmospheric climate forcing species, are also emitted. It is important to model the contribution, transport, and impact of pollutants emitted by pyrometallurgical smelters. In order to do this, atmospheric modellers require an accurate emission inventory, which indicates emissions (how much of what species by which processes), emission periods, stack/emission heights, and emission velocities (if emitted through stacks). However, in many countries atmospheric modellers do not have access to a proper emission inventory, or they are legally prohibited from obtaining such information. The current paper demonstrates how fire radiative power (FRP) observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) instruments on board the Aqua and Terra satellites can be used to estimate the availabilities of pyrometallurgical smelters. Such temporal activity patterns will assist modellers to re-create air quality scenarios for regions more accurately