Articles | Volume 25, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15197-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-15197-2025
Research article
 | 
07 Nov 2025
Research article |  | 07 Nov 2025

Quantifying European SF6 emissions from 2005 to 2021 using a large inversion ensemble

Martin Vojta, Andreas Plach, Rona L. Thompson, Pallav Purohit, Kieran Stanley, Simon O'Doherty, Dickon Young, Joe Pitt, Jgor Arduini, Xin Lan, and Andreas Stohl

Data sets

Global Atmospheric Sulfur hexaflouride Dry Air Mole Fractions from the NOAA GML Halocarbons in situ Network, 1998--023 G. Dutton and B. Hall https://doi.org/10.7289/V5X0659V

All SF6 data contributed to WDCGG by GAW stations and mobiles by 2022-09-05 A. di Sarra et al. https://doi.org/10.50849/WDCGG_SF6_ALL_2022

Atmospheric Sulfur Hexafluoride Dry Air Mole Fractions from the NOAA GML Carbon Cycle Cooperative Global Air Sampling Network, 1997-2022 X. Lan et al. https://doi.org/10.15138/p646-pa37

NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network Flask-Air PFP Sample Measurements of SF6 at Tall Tower and other Continental Sites, 2005-Present A. Andrews et al. https://doi.org/10.15138/5R14-K382

NOAA Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network Flask-Air PFP Sample Measurements of CO2, CH4, CO, N2O, H2, SF6 and isotopic ratios collected from aircraft vertical profiles K. McKain et al. https://doi.org/10.15138/39HR-9N34

Multi-laboratory compilation of atmospheric sulfure hexafluoride data for the period 1983-2017; obspack_sf6_1_v2.1.1_2018-08-17 NOAA Carbon Cycle Group ObsPack Team https://doi.org/10.15138/g3ks7p

IAGOS-CARIBIC whole air sampler data (v2024.01.12) T. Schuck and F. Obersteiner https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10495039

ACT-America: L2 In Situ Atmospheric Gas Concentrations from Flasks, Eastern USA C. Sweeney et al. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1575

The dataset of in-situ measurements of chemically and radiatively important atmospheric gases from the AGAGE and affiliated stations (2022R2) R. Prinn et al. https://doi.org/10.15485/1909711

Model code and software

FLEXPART 10.4. In Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss. (10.4) I. Pisso et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3542278

Atmospheric Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model for global tracer transport S. Henne et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1249190

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Short summary
We determine European emissions of the highly potent greenhouse gas sulfur hexafluoride from 2005 to 2021 – focusing on high-emitting countries and the aggregated EU-27 emissions. Emissions declined in most regions, likely due to EU F-gas regulations. However, our results reveal that most studied countries underestimate their emissions in their national reports. Our sensitivity tests highlight the importance of dense observational networks for reliable inversion-based emission estimates.
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