Biomass burning is a major source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and particulate matter (PM) emissions in China. Despite increasing efforts of fire monitoring, it remains challenging to quantify the variability in interannual and seasonal emissions of GHGs and PM from biomass burning. In this study, we investigated the biomass burning emissions in Northeastern China based on fire radiative power (FRP) obtained from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suites (VIIRS) active fires datasets during the period 2012 to 2019. Our results showed that the average annual emissions from biomass burning in Northeastern China during 2012–2019 were: 81.6 Tg for CO₂, 260.2 Gg for CH₄, 5.5 Gg for N₂O, 543.2 Gg for PM_2.5 and 573.6 Gg for PM₁₀, respectively. Higher levels of GHGs and PM emissions were concentrated in the Songnen Plain and Sanjiang Plain, the main grain producing areas in this region, and were associated with dense fire points. There were two emission peaks observed each year: after harvesting (October to November) and before planting (March to April). During this study period, the total fire emissions initially increased and then decreased in a fluctuating pattern, with emissions peaking in 2015, the year when more emission regulations were introduced. Crop straw was the major source of GHGs and PM among all kinds of biomass burning. Following more stringent controls on burning and the utilization of crop straw, the main burning season changed from autumn to spring. The proportion from spring burning increased from 20.5% in 2013 to 77.1% in 2019, with an annual growth rate of 20%. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of regulatory control in reducing GHGs and PM emissions, as well as satellite fire observations as a powerful means to assess such outcomes.

Open-field crop residue burning (OCRB) is a widespread agricultural practice with significant impacts on regional environments and public health. The effective management of OCRB remains a challenging task that requires timely access to various forms of monitored and forecasted information. Addressing this worldwide need, an open-source platform named AgriFireInfo v1.0, which is specifically tailored to monitoring and regulating regional OCRB activities, was developed. This technical note thoroughly illustrates the platform’s architecture, major modules, and visualization processes. Through AgriFireInfo v1.0, government agencies can access timely information about the spatial distribution of fire spots and emissions as well as meteorological conditions and air quality status. AgriFireInfo v1.0 also introduces an innovative Prevention Alarming Index, designed to identify regions prone to OCRB and promote comprehensive crop residue utilization. Furthermore, it offers the burning window and crop residue yields for controlled OCRB activities and can be used to analyze shifts in farmers’ burning behaviors and intensities. Future enhancements will focus on supplying holistic information on the burning windows and burning amounts of crop residues to further facilitate refined controlled burning activities and optimize decision-making processes. The flexibility and scalability of this platform can potentially allow users to easily customize and apply it to other regions or countries.