Atmospheric observation and emission estimation of HFC-125 and HFC-32 in China from four representative cities

HFC-125 and HFC-32 are fluorinated greenhouse gases of great concern due to their high GWPs and increasing background atmospheric concentrations. Long-term atmospheric observations of HFC-125 and HFC-32 were carried out in four representative cities of China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Lanzhou) from January 2012 to October 2019. Overall, the annual mean atmospheric concentrations of HFC-125 and HFC-32 both showed increasing trends, with average rates of 4.8 ppt yr⁻¹ and 7.9 ppt yr⁻¹. The average concentrations of HFC-125 and HFC-32 in urban areas were significantly higher than those in suburban areas. Significant differences in atmospheric concentrations of the two HFCs were observed among the four cities. HFC-125 and HFC-32 emissions were estimated accordingly, averaging 6.2 Gg yr⁻¹ (23.6 Mt. CO₂-eq) and 5.7 Gg yr⁻¹ (4.3 Mt. CO₂-eq) during 2012 and 2019 and growing at rates of 0.8 Gg yr⁻¹ (3.1 Mt. CO₂-eq) and 0.8 Gg yr⁻¹ (0.6 Mt. CO₂-eq), respectively, with an increasing contribution to global radiative forcing. The bottom-up inventories of HFC-125 and HFC-32 in the four cities increased annually from 2012 to 2019, with the highest emissions in Beijing, while the top-down emissions fluctuated during the research period. Synopsis: The atmospheric concentrations of HFC-125 and HFC-32 were measured from 2012 to 2019 in four representative cities of China. Both HFC emissions at national and city levels were estimated using observation-based and inventory methods.