SAFARI 2000 Biomass Burning Emissions from Southern Africa

Sixty biomass burning experiments were conducted from November 2000 to January 2001 across three southern African ecosystem types: Etosha National Park (Namibia), Kruger National Park (South Africa), and woodland sites in Zambia and Malawi. The dataset contains four types of data: baseline time-series of gas mixing ratios and mass fluxes, elemental analyses of fuel and ash, integrated flux data, and detailed emissions data for various compounds. It was produced by ORNL_CLOUD to quantify emissions and assess elemental mass balances from biomass burning.

Use Cases

• Calculating emission factors for compounds like CO, CO2, NOx, NH3, and SO2 based on fuel composition.
• Assessing elemental mass balances for experimental burns using data on C, N, S, P, Cl, Br, I, K, Ca, Na, and Mg content in fuel and ash.
• Analyzing time-series mixing ratios and mass fluxes of key atmospheric gases from controlled fire experiments.
• Studying emissions of organic halogen-containing gases and inorganic particles from biomass burning.
• Modeling regional atmospheric pollution impacts by linking specific biofuel types to measured emissions data.

Strengths

• Data is based on 60 controlled biomass burning experiments, providing a substantial empirical foundation.
• Covers three distinct and representative southern African ecosystem types, enabling regional comparisons.
• Includes detailed elemental analysis of fuel and ash for 11 elements, supporting mass balance studies.
• Measures a wide range of emissions, including trace gases, halogen compounds, and particle compositions.

Limitations

• Key structural metadata like column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are unknown across all platforms.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist: one source shows 2001-01-16, while others show 2026-03-12, casting doubt on data currency.
• The specific license terms under 'other-license-specified' are not detailed, requiring user investigation.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD

Collection Method

Field experiments involving controlled biomass burns with subsequent laboratory analysis of fuel, ash, and smoke samples.

Time Range

November 2000 - January 2001

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:18:06.173483

Geography

Etosha National Park (Namibia), Kruger National Park (South Africa), and woodland sites in Zambia and Malawi.