Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research

Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research
Name	Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research
Abbreviation	EDGAR
Formation	1990s
Type	Scientific database
Headquarters	Joint Research Centre, European Commission
Region served	Global

Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research is a global inventory compiling anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants for use in atmospheric modeling, climate assessments, and policy analysis. Developed and maintained by research institutions in coordination with intergovernmental bodies, the database informs international assessments and national reporting by linking emission estimates to activity data and emission factors. It is widely used by climate scientists, environmental economists, and policy analysts for coupling with atmospheric chemistry models and integrated assessment models.

Overview

The database was developed within networks involving the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and collaborators associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It provides harmonized, gridded emissions for use with global chemical transport models such as GEOS-Chem, TM5, and CAMS modeling systems, and informs assessments by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the World Meteorological Organization. EDGAR's structure has been cited in reports by the European Environment Agency and influences inventories submitted under the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.

Data Sources and Methodology

EDGAR compiles national and sectoral activity data from sources including the International Energy Agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Statistics Division, and national statistical agencies such as United States Energy Information Administration and Statistics Netherlands. Emission factors and sector definitions draw on literature from institutions like IPCC, the International Council on Clean Transportation, and individual research groups at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Methodology combines top-down and bottom-up approaches: bottom-up inventories use country-reported data analogous to UNFCCC submissions, while top-down scaling leverages satellite-derived observations from missions such as NASA's Aura and European Space Agency platforms. The database documents assumptions about fuel mixtures, industrial processes, and technology penetration used to estimate emissions.

Spatial and Temporal Coverage

EDGAR provides global coverage with gridded outputs at resolutions typically around 0.1°×0.1° to 0.5°×0.5°, enabling integration with global models developed by groups at National Center for Atmospheric Research, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Temporal coverage spans decadal time series from the 1970s or 1990s through recent years, supporting retrospective analyses referenced in studies from University of Oxford, Princeton University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Time slices and time-varying activities are aligned with datasets used by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project and climate scenarios produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Pollutants and Sectors Covered

The inventory covers greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, and air pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and particulate matter species (black carbon, organic carbon). Sectoral classification includes energy and power generation, transport (road, aviation, shipping), industrial processes, residential combustion, agriculture, and waste—sectors described in frameworks from IPCC and International Maritime Organization. EDGAR disaggregates emissions by fuel type (coal, oil, gas, biofuels) and industrial activities such as cement production and steelmaking, linked to technology adoption trends reported by International Energy Agency and studies at Electric Power Research Institute.

Data Access, Formats, and Tools

Data are distributed through online portals hosted by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in formats compatible with model inputs used by groups like NASA's Earth science community and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Available formats include gridded NetCDF, shapefiles for geographic information systems used by researchers at University of Cambridge and ETH Zurich, and tabular CSV files for econometric analysis at institutions like Harvard University and Yale University. Tools and visualization interfaces interoperate with platforms such as Google Earth Engine, community software like R (programming language), and Python (programming language) libraries used in atmospheric science.

Applications and Research Use Cases

EDGAR underpins studies of air quality impacts on public health performed by teams at Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins University, attribution analyses in conjunction with satellite retrievals from European Space Agency missions, and policy evaluations of mitigation scenarios used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and national ministries. It supports emission projection exercises in integrated assessment models at IIASA and retrospective source apportionment studies in urban environments such as Los Angeles, Beijing, and New Delhi conducted by regional research centers. EDGAR outputs feed into national greenhouse gas inventories and compliance reporting frameworks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Limitations, Uncertainties, and Validation

Uncertainties stem from gaps in country-reported activity data, variability in emission factors, and assumptions about technology penetration noted by analysts at World Resources Institute and the International Energy Agency. Spatial downscaling introduces errors where point-source location data are incomplete, affecting model evaluations performed by groups using GEOS-Chem and TM5. Validation efforts compare EDGAR with atmospheric inversions using observations from networks like Global Atmosphere Watch and satellite products from Aqua and Sentinel missions, and against national inventories submitted to UNFCCC; discrepancies often prompt methodological updates.

Governance, Updates, and Collaborations

EDGAR development is governed through collaborations among the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, national agencies such as the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and academic partners at institutions including University of Cambridge, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. Releases follow versioning protocols and are updated periodically to incorporate new activity data, improved emission factors, and user feedback from projects funded by the European Commission and research programs under Horizon 2020 and successor initiatives. The project engages with international initiatives such as the Global Carbon Project and the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project for harmonization and intercomparison exercises.

Category:Environmental databases Category:Air pollution Category:Greenhouse gas inventories