EMEP workshop on emissions and emission factor estimates

21-23 November 2001, Moscow, Russia

The workshop on emissions and emission factor estimates held in Moscow from 21 to 23 November 2001 was convened in accordance with the decision of the Steering Body to EMEP [EB.AIR/GE.1/2001/]. The workshop was organized by Meteorological Synthesizing Centre East (MSC-E) and the Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections (TFEIP).

It was attended by 36 experts from Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom including representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP).

The programme was prepared by organizing committee involving: Mr. P. van der Most (the Netherlands); Mr. J. Pacyna (Norway); Mr. M. Woodfield, Mr. H. Jones (United Kingdom); Mrs. M. Varygina (MSC-E).

The aim of the Workshop was to assist Parties to the CLRTAP to report heavy metals (HMs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) emissions and investigate long-range transport issues. The Workshop had two key objectives:

- To assist modellers with HM and POP emission estimates for Europe. At present, reporting of national emission data for HMs and POPs to the UN/ECE CLRTAP is often incomplete resulting in difficulties and delay of HM and POP modelling. The modellers as a temporary solution can use expert estimates available at various European institutions until national estimates arrive.

- To assist TFEIP with improving the emission estimation methods for HMs and POPs currently presented in the EMEP/CORINAIR Atmospheric Emission Inventory Guidebook. This task is to be achieved by the identification, collection and analysis of emissions factors for HM and POPs available in various national/international programmes/projects.

The Plenary sessions were chaired by Mr. S. Dutchak and Mr. M. Woodfield. The working group sessions on prioritization and adoption of default for HMs in priority chapters and on prioritization and adoption of default for POPs on priority chapters held in parallel were chaired by Mr. P. Van der Most and Mr. J. Pacyna.

The working group sessions on HMs and POPs discussed modeling and emission issues for HMs and POPs and concluded that emission data are a major source of uncertainty of model results.

Data provided by parties according to the EMEP Reporting Guidelines may result in significant underestimation of HMs and POPs due to incompleteness of the emission categories included in the current NFR, the quality of emission factors used and other items.

The Workshop recognized that as a result information provided by Parties under the Reporting Guidelines might need to be supplemented by independent expert estimates to develop full data sets for modeling and research purposes.

The workshop agreed to set up an ad hoc Group under the TFEIP, which should consider the matter and advise to the TFEIP at its 2002 Meeting.

A number of the parties attending the workshop expressed a wish to participate in the activity ad hoc group, including UNEP, EMEP, CCC, MSC-W, OECD, CEC.

The Workshop developed default emission factors for the priority categories previously identified and constructed tables to be included in the revised Guidebook.

It was further noted that a line item might need to be included in the Reporting Guidelines for "Other emissions".

The workshop agreed that future meetings between modeling experts and emissions experts should be held.

List of participants