Experimental Assessments of Anthropogenic Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides from the Territory of St. Petersburg Based on Data from Long-Term Mobile Measurements

Abstract

Results of a series of spectroscopic measurements of the tropospheric NO₂ content carried out on a closed route of the Ring Road of St. Petersburg in different seasons in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016 are considered. A unified approach to the interpretation of all experimental data using numerical modeling of air pollution spread and a priori information about the spatial distribution of its anthropogenic sources has significantly improved the accuracy of determining the integral NO_x emissions. The total NO_x volume, reduced to gross annual anthropogenic emissions from the territory of St. Petersburg, amounted to 81 000 ± 17 000 t. This value slightly exceeds the air pollution city inventory official data (from 61 000 to 63 000 t per year), consistent within the error margin with the estimate obtained earlier on the basis of similar mobile measurements in the spring of 2019 (75 000 ± 26 000 t per year).