Biofuel Trace Gas Emissions from SAFARI 2000 Field Campaign

Eighteen trace gases were quantified from biofuel burning in Zambia during September 2000. This dataset provides emission ratios and factors for compounds like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides, based on ground-based open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. The data was collected by the University of Montana as part of the SAFARI 2000 initiative.

Use Cases

• Modeling atmospheric chemistry by using emission ratios for gases like CO, CH4, and NOx.
• Assessing the climate impact of domestic biofuel use through measured emission factors per kilogram of dry fuel.
• Comparing trace gas profiles from different combustion sources like wood fires and charcoal kilns.
• Validating satellite-derived emission estimates with ground-based, in-situ measurements of species like formaldehyde and ammonia.

Strengths

• Contains measurements for 18 specific trace gases, providing a detailed emission profile.
• Based on first in-situ field measurements for tropical biofuel burning, offering unique ground truth data.
• Data collected during a coordinated regional science initiative (SAFARI 2000) in the 2000 dry season.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata: one platform lists a last update date of 2026-03-12, while another lists 2000-09-16, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Key technical details like row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across any platform.
• License is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

University of Montana, collected as part of the Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000).

Collection Method

Ground-based, open-path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (OP-FTIR) measurements of cooking fires and a charcoal-making kiln.

Time Range

September 2000

Freshness

2026-03 12 22:17:24.037412

Geography

Zambia, southern Africa