Agriculture is a key source of greenhouse gases, with arable and livestock farming accounting for 10-12% of global emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). In China, many pollutants are released from crop residue burning in fields, resulting in serious pollution of ambient air. The results indicate that crop residue burning occurs in a seasonal pattern, and its spatial distribution is closely related to farming activities. This study aims to show the amounts of residue burning in China from 2003 to 2020 and how they have changed during these years. The results demonstrate that over the years, the fire count has increased over time but then decreased to about the same number as 2003. Based on the Overall China Fire Trends, number of fires in 2003 were 80280, continued steadily until increasing sharply to 150807 in 2014, then lowering by 2020, where there were 81190 fires. Also, The Annual Data Trends by months determine that the frequent burning seasons are around March – April, June, and October. These were the most consistently burned months from 2003-2020, but the trends were not entirely consistent over all the years. Furthermore, in 2014 the crop residue burnings reached a peak, likely due to massive drought throughout the region. A land cover map of China associating landcover with each fire point shows that the fires occur mostly in croplands, beginning in early spring and contributing to the spring fire season. Overall, croplands contained the greatest proportion of fires within China.
Authors: Stephanie Lubanovic, Billy Somers, Armando Cabrera
Faculty Advisor: Jessica McCarty, Geography
Graduate Student Advisors: Justin Fain, Geography, Maryam Zamanialaei, Geography
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