Connecting Atmospheric Observations and Emission Inventories

As a follow-up to the EGU2026, we also presented our results at the 10th International Symposium on Non-CO₂ Greenhouse Gases (NCGG10), held in Utrecht from 15–17 June 2026. The symposium focused on methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated and halogenated gases, with sessions covering observations, emissions, atmospheric modelling, inverse modelling and inventories—all closely aligned with the PARIS research agenda.

But PARIS is about more than a scientific approach. Together with its sister projects AVENGERS and EYE-CLIMA, PARIS also aims to bridge the gap between inventory teams and atmospheric scientists. Bringing bottom-up inventory methods and top-down atmospheric approaches closer together requires both communities to understand each other’s terminology, methods and needs. NCGG10 is a much smaller, cosier event than the EGU, but also broad in topics and disciplines. It provided an excellent platform to discuss the needs of communities and explore ways to strengthen future collaboration. The session “Bridging two communities: practical tools for closing the gap between inventories and atmospheric scientists”, led by Margreet van Zanten, highlighted the outputs developed through these three European Horizon projects to facilitate this exchange. 

AVENGERS developed FIT-IC (Flexible Inversion Tool for Inventory Compilers), an educational inverse-modelling system that helps inventory compilers understand how atmospheric inversions work. PARIS and AVENGERS developed fluxie and AVANTI-PYRES, analysis tools that facilitate the processing and comparison of top-down emission estimates, as well as their comparison with bottom-up inventory data. In addition, EYE-CLIMA, together with AVENGERS, developed good-practice guidelines for atmospheric inverse modelling to support national emission estimation, as well as guidance for data users on how to make effective use of inversion results in national inventories. These activities complement the guidelines developed through IG3IS.

By presenting and discussing these tools at NCGG10, the projects created an opportunity to not only share results and but also discuss how these resources can be further developed and more widely used. Together, these activities help advance atmospheric emission research while building practical bridges between the communities needed to improve greenhouse gas emission estimates.

Want to learn more about our contributions? Find here the program and all abstracts of the NCGG10: https://www.ncgg.info/ncgg10