Articles | Volume 21, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-16277-2021
Research article
 | 
16 Nov 2021
Research article |  | 16 Nov 2021

Changes in biomass burning, wetland extent, or agriculture drive atmospheric NH3 trends in select African regions

Jonathan E. Hickman, Niels Andela, Enrico Dammers, Lieven Clarisse, Pierre-François Coheur, Martin Van Damme, Courtney A. Di Vittorio, Money Ossohou, Corinne Galy-Lacaux​​​​​​​, Kostas Tsigaridis​​​​​​​, and Susanne E. Bauer

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Cited articles

Adon, M., Galy-Lacaux, C., Yoboué, V., Delon, C., Lacaux, J. P., Castera, P., Gardrat, E., Pienaar, J., Al Ourabi, H., Laouali, D., Diop, B., Sigha-Nkamdjou, L., Akpo, A., Tathy, J. P., Lavenu, F., and Mougin, E.: Long term measurements of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, nitric acid and ozone in Africa using passive samplers, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 7467–7487, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-7467-2010, 2010. 
AGRA: AGRA in 2008: Building on the New Momentum in African Agriculture, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, 32 pp., 2009. 
Andela, N. and van der Werf, G. R.: Recent trends in African fires driven by cropland expansion and El Niño to la Niña transition, Nat. Clim. Change, 4, 791–795, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2313, 2014. 
Anker, H. T., Baaner, L., Backes, C., Keessen, A., and Möckel, S.: Comparison of ammonia regulation in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark – legal framework, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 23 pp., 2018. 
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Short summary
Ammonia (NH3) gas emitted from soils and biomass burning contributes to particulate air pollution. We used satellite observations of the atmosphere over Africa to show that declines in NH3 concentrations over South Sudan's Sudd wetland in 2008–2017 are related to variation in wetland extent. We also find NH3 concentrations increased in West Africa as a result of biomass burning and increased in the Lake Victoria region, likely due to agricultural expansion and intensification.
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