The significance of agricultural sources of greenhouse gases

The impact of development of land for agriculture and agricultural production practices on emissions of greenhouse gases is reviewed and evaluated within the context of anthropogenic radiative forcing of climate. Combined, these activities are estimated to contribute about 25%, 65%, and 90% of total anthropogenic emissions of CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O, respectively. Agriculture is also a significant contributor to global emissions of NH₃, CO, and NO. Over the last 150 y, cumulative emissions of CO₂ associated with land clearing for agriculture are comparable to those from combustion of fossil fuel, but the latter is the major source of CO₂ at present and is projected to become more dominant in the future. Ruminant animals, rice paddies, and biomass burning are principal agricultural sources of CH₄, and oxidation of CH₄ by aerobic soils has been reduced by perturbations to natural N cycles. Agricultural sources of N₂O have probably been substantially underestimated due to incomplete analysis of increased N flows in the environment, especially via NH₃ volatilization from animal manures, leaching of NO ₃ ^- , and increased use of biological N fixation.The contribution of agriculture to radiative forcing of climate is analyzed using data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)(base case) and cases where the global warming potential of CH₄, and agricultural emissions of N₂O are doubled. With these scenarios, agriculture, including land clearing, is estimated to contribute between 28–33% of the radiative forcing created over the next 100yr by 1990 anthropogenic emissions of CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O. Analyses of the sources of agriculturally generated radiative climate forcing show that 80% is associated with tropical agriculture and that two-thirds comes from non-soil sources of greenhouse gases. The importance of agriculture to radiative forcing created by different countries varies widely and is illustrated by comparisons between the USA, India, and Brazil. Some caveats to these analyses include inadequate evaluations of the net greenhouse effects of agroecosystems, uncertainties in global fluxes of greenhouse gases, and incomplete understanding of tropospheric chemical processes.Extension of the analytical approach to projected future emissions of greenhouse gases (IPCC moderate growth scenario) indicates that agriculture will become a less important source of radiative forcing in the future. Technological approaches to mitigation of agricultural sources of greenhouse gases will probably focus on CH₄ and N₂O because emissions of CO₂ are essentially associated with the socio-political issue of tropical deforestation. Available technologies include dietary supplements to reduce CH₄ production by ruminant animals and various means of improving fertilizer N management to reduce N₂O emissions. Increased storage of C in soil organic matter is not considered to be viable because of slow accretion rates and misconceptions about losses of soil organic matter from agricultural soils.     

Influence of soil physical properties, fertiliser type and moisture tension on N2O and NO emissions from nearly saturated Japanese upland soils

In Japan, upland soils are an important source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO) gas emissions. This paper reports on an investigation of the effect of soil moisture near saturation on N₂O and NO emission rates from four upland soils in Japan of contrasting texture. The aim was to relate these effects to soil physical properties. Intact cores of each soil type were incubated in the laboratory at different moisture tensions after fertilisation with NH₄-N, NO₃-N or zero N. Emissions of N₂O and NO were measured regularly over a 16–20 day period. At the end of the incubation, soil cores were analysed for physical properties. Moisture and N fertiliser significantly affected rates of emissions of both N₂O and NO with large differences between the soil types. Nitrous oxide emissions were greatest in the finer-textured soils, whereas NO emissions were greater in the coarser-textured soils. Emissions of N₂O increased at higher moisture contents in all soils, but the magnitude of increase was much greater in finer-textured soils. Nitric oxide emissions were only significant in soils fertilised with NH₄-N and were negatively correlated with soil moisture. Analysis of soil properties showed that there was a strong relationship between the magnitude of emissions and soil physical properties. The importance of soil wetness to gas emissions was mainly through its influence on soil air-filled porosity, which itself was related to gas diffusivity. From the results of this research, we can now estimate likely effects of soil texture on emissions through the influence of soil type on soil aeration and soil drainage. This is of particular value in modelling N₂O and NO emissions from soil moisture status and land use inputs.     

N2O and NO emission from agricultural fields and soils under natural vegetation: summarizing available measurement data and modeling of global annual emissions

The number of published N₂O and NO emissions measurements is increasing steadily, providing additional information about driving factors of these emissions and allowing an improvement of statistical N-emission models. We summarized information from 1008 N₂O and 189 NO emission measurements for agricultural fields, and 207 N₂O and 210 NO measurements for soils under natural vegetation. The factors that significantly influence agricultural N₂O emissions were N application rate, crop type, fertilizer type, soil organic C content, soil pH and texture, and those for NO emissions include N application rate, soil N content and climate. Compared to an earlier analysis the 20% increase in the number of N₂O measurements for agriculture did not yield more insight or reduced uncertainty, because the representation of environmental and management conditions in agro-ecosystems did not improve, while for NO emissions the additional measurements in agricultural systems did yield a considerable improvement. N₂O emissions from soils under natural vegetation are significantly influenced by vegetation type, soil organic C content, soil pH, bulk density and drainage, while vegetation type and soil C content are major factors for NO emissions. Statistical models of these factors were used to calculate global annual emissions from fertilized cropland (3.3 Tg N₂O-N and 1.4 Tg NO-N) and grassland (0.8 Tg N₂O-N and 0.4 Tg NO-N). Global emissions were not calculated for soils under natural vegetation due to lack of data for many vegetation types.     

Field Validation of DNDC Model for Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Rice-based Production Systems of India

The DNDC (DeNitrification and DeComposition) model was tested against experimental data on CH₄ and N₂O emissions from rice fields at different geographical locations in India. There was a good agreement between the simulated and observed values of CH₄ and N₂O emissions. The difference between observed and simulated CH₄ emissions in all sites ranged from −11.6 to 62.5 kg C ha⁻¹ season⁻¹. Most discrepancies between simulated and observed seasonal fluxes were less than 20% of the field estimate of the seasonal flux. The relative deviation between observed and simulated cumulative N₂O emissions ranged from −237.8 to 28.6%. However, some discrepancies existed between observed and simulated seasonal patterns of CH₄ and N₂O emissions. The model simulated zero N₂O emissions from continuously flooded rice fields and poorly simulated CH₄ emissions from Allahabad site. For all other simulated cases, the model satisfactorily simulated the seasonal variations in greenhouse gas emission from paddy fields with different land management. The model also simulated the C and N balances in all the sites, including other gas fluxes, viz. CO₂, NO, NO₂, N₂ and NH₃ emissions. Sensitivity tests for CH₄ indicate that soil texture and pH significantly influenced the CH₄ emission. Changes in organic C content had a moderate influence on CH₄ emission on these sites. Introducing the mid-season drainage reduced CH₄ emissions significantly. Process-based biogeochemical modeling, as with DNDC, can help in identifying strategies for optimizing resource use, increasing productivity, closing yield gaps and reducing adverse environmental impacts.     

Impact of agriculture on soil consumption of atmospheric CH4 and a comparison of CH4 and N2O flux in subarctic, temperate and tropical grasslands

Increasing concentrations of methane (CH₄) in the atmosphere are projected to account for about 25% of the net radiative forcing. Biospheric emissions of CH₄ to the atmosphere total approximately 400 Tg C y^-1. An estimated 300 Tg of CH₄-C y^-1 is oxidized in the atmosphere by hydroxyl radicals while about 40 Tg y^-1 remains in the atmosphere. Approximately 40 Tg y^-1 of the atmospheric burden is oxidized in aerobic soils. Research efforts during the past several years have focused on quantifying CH₄ sources while relatively less effort has been directed toward quantifying and understanding the soil sink for atmospheric CH₄. Recent research has demonstrated that land use change, including agricultural use of native forest and grassland systems has decreased the soil sink for atmospheric methane. Some agricultural systems consume atmospheric CH₄ at rates less than 10% of those found in comparable undisturbed soils. While it has been necessary to change land use practices over the past centuries to meet the required production of food and fiber, we need to recognize and account for impacts of land use change on the biogeochemical nutrient cycles in the biosphere. Changes that have ensued in these cycles have and will impact the atmospheric concentrations of CH₄ and N₂O. Since CH₄ and N₂O production and consumption are accomplished by a variety of soil microorganisms, the influence of changing agricultural, forest, and, demographic patterns has been large. Existing management and technological practices may already exist to limit the effect of land use change and agriculture on trace gas fluxes. It is therefore important to understand how management and land use affect trace gas fluxes and to observe the effect of new technology on them. This paper describes the role of aerobic soils in the global CH₄ budget and the impact of agriculture on this soil CH₄ sink. Examples from field studies made across subarctic, temperate and tropical climate gradients in grasslands are used to demonstrate the influence of nutrient cycle perturbations on the soil consumption of atmospheric CH₄ and in increased N₂O emissions. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparison of N2O emissions from soils at three temperate agricultural sites: simulations of year-round measurements by four models

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) flux simulations by four models were compared with year-round field measurements from five temperate agricultural sites in three countries. The field sites included an unfertilized, semi-arid rangeland with low N₂O fluxes in eastern Colorado, USA; two fertilizer treatments (urea and nitrate) on a fertilized grass ley cut for silage in Scotland; and two fertilized, cultivated crop fields in Germany where N₂O loss during the winter was quite high. The models used were daily trace gas versions of the CENTURY model, DNDC, ExpertN, and the NASA-Ames version of the CASA model. These models included similar components (soil physics, decomposition, plant growth, and nitrogen transformations), but in some cases used very different algorithms for these processes. All models generated similar results for the general cycling of nitrogen through the agro-ecosystems, but simulated nitrogen trace gas fluxes were quite different. In most cases the simulated N₂O fluxes were within a factor of about 2 of the observed annual fluxes, but even when models produced similar N₂O fluxes they often produced very different estimates of gaseous N loss as nitric oxide (NO), dinitrogen (N₂), and ammonia (NH₃). Accurate simulation of soil moisture appears to be a key requirement for reliable simulation of N₂O emissions. All models simulated the general pattern of low background fluxes with high fluxes following fertilization at the Scottish sites, but they could not (or were not designed to) accurately capture the observed effects of different fertilizer types on N₂O flux. None of the models were able to reliably generate large pulses of N₂O during brief winter thaws that were observed at the two German sites. All models except DNDC simulated very low N₂O fluxes for the dry site in Colorado. The US Trace Gas Network (TRAGNET) has provided a mechanism for this model and site intercomparison. Additional intercomparisons are needed with these and other models and additional data sets; these should include both tropical agro-ecosystems and new agricultural management techniques designed for sustainability.     

Assessment of CH4 and N2O fluxes in a Danish beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest and an adjacent N-fertilised barley (Hordeum vulgare) field: effects of sewage sludge amendments

Fluxes of CH₄ and N₂O were measured regularly in an agricultural field treated with 280 g m⁻² of sewage sludge. In a nearby beech forest N₂O and CH₄ fluxes were measured in a well-drained (dry) area and in a wet area adjacent to a drainage canal. We observed brief increases of both CH₄ and N₂O emissions immediately following soil applications of digested sewage sludge. Cumulated values for CH₄ emissions over the course of 328 days after sludge applications indicated a small net source in sludge treated plots (7.6 mg C m⁻²) whereas sludge-free soil constituted a small sink (-0.9 mg C m⁻²). The CH₄ emission amounted 0.01% of the sludge-C. Extrapolated to current rates of sludge applications in Danish agriculture this amounts to 0.1% of the total agricultural derived CH₄. Sludge applications did not affect cumulated fluxes of N₂O showing 312 mg N₂O–N m⁻² and 304 mg N m⁻² with and without sludge, respectively. Four months after the sludge applications a significant effect on CO₂ and NO emissions was still obvious in the field, the latter perhaps due to elevated nitrification. Nitrous oxide emission in the beech forest was about six times smaller (45 mg N m⁻²) than in the field and independent of drainage status. Methane oxidation was observed all-year round in the forest cumulating to -225 mg C m⁻² and -84 mg C m⁻² in dry and wet areas. In a model experiment with incubated soil cores, nitrogen amendment (NH₄Cl) and perturbation significantly reduced CH₄ oxidation in the forest soil, presumably as a result of increased nitrification activity. Sludge also induced net CH₄ production in the otherwise strong CH₄ oxidising forest soil. This emphasises the potential for CH₄ emissions from sewage sludge applications onto land. The study shows, however, that emissions of N₂O and CH₄ induced by sewage sludge in the field is of minor importance and that factors such as land use (agriculture versus forest) is a much stronger controller on the source/sink strengths of CH₄ and N₂O. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of N management on N2O and CH4 fluxes and15N

Forage production in irrigated mountain meadows plays a vital role in the livestock industry in Colorado and Wyoming. Mountain meadows are areas of intensive fertilization and irrigation which may impact regional CH₄ and N₂O fluxes. Nitrogen fertilization typically increases yields, but N-use efficiency is generally low. Neither the amount of fertilizer-N recovered by the forage nor the effect on N₂O and CH₄ emissions were known. These trace gases are long-lived in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming potential and stratospheric ozone depletion. From 1991 through 1993 studies were conducted to determine the effect of N source, and timing of N-fertilization on forage yield, N-uptake, and trace gas fluxes at the CSU Beef Improvement Center near Saratoga, Wyoming. Plots were fertilized with 168 kg N ha^-1. Microplots labeled with¹⁵N-fertilizer were established to trace the fate of the added N. Weekly fluxes of N₂O and CH₄ were measured during the snow-free periods of the year. Although CH₄ was consumed when soils were drying, flood irrigation converted the meadow into a net source of CH₄. Nitrogen fertilization did not affect CH₄ flux but increased N₂O emissions. About 5% of the applied N was lost as N₂O from spring applied NH₄NO₃, far greater than the amount lost as N₂O from urea or fall applied NH₄NO₃. Fertilizer N additions increased forage biomass to a maximum of 14.6 Mg ha^-1 with spring applied NH₄NO₃. Plant uptake of N-fertilizer was greater with spring applications (42%), than with fall applications (22%).     

Fertilizers, agronomy and N2O

N₂O is emitted from agricultural soils due to microbial transformation of N from fertilizers, manures and soil N reserves. N₂O also derives from N lost from agriculture to other ecosystems: as NH₃ or through NO ₃ ^- leaching. Increased efficiency in crop N uptake and reduction of N losses should in principle diminish the amount of N₂O from agricultural sources. Precision in crop nutrient management is developing rapidly and should increase this efficiency. It should be possible to design guidelines on good agricultural practices for low N₂O emissions in special situations, e.g. irrigated agriculture, and for special operations, e.g. deep placement of fertilizers and manures. However, current information is insufficient for such guidelines. Slow-release fertilizers and fertilizers with inhibitors of soil enzymatic processes show promise as products which give reduced N₂O emissions, but they are expensive and have had little market penetration. Benefits and possible problems with their use needs further clarification.     

Canadian greenhouse gas mitigation options in agriculture

In 1991, on farm management practices contributed 57.6 Tg CO₂ equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions, that is, about 10% of the anthropogenic GHG emissions in Canada. Approximately 11% of these emissions were in the form of CO₂, 36% in the form of CH₄ and 53% in the form of N₂O. The CO₂ emissions were from soils; CH₄ emissions were from enteric fermentation and manure, and N₂O emissions were primarily a function of cropping practices and manure management. With the emissions from all other agricultural practices included, such as the emissions from fossil fuels used for transportation, manufacturing, food processing etc., the agricultural sector's contributions were about 15% of Canada's emissions. In this publication, several options are examined as to their potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These involve soil and crop management, soil nutrient management, improved feeding strategies, and carbon storage in industrial by-products. The Canadian Economic Emissions Model for Agriculture (CEEMA) was used to predict the greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2010, as well as the impact of mitigation options on greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. This model incorporates the Canadian Regional Agricultural sub-Model (CRAM), which predicts the activities related to agriculture in Canada up to 2010, as well as a Greenhouse Gas Emissions sub-Model (GGEM), which estimates the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the various agricultural activities. The greenhouse gas emissions from all agricultural sources were 90.5 Tg CO₂ equivalent in 1991. Estimates based on CEEMA for the year 2010 indicate emissions are expected to be 98.0 Tg CO₂ equivalent under a business as usual scenario, which assumes that the present trends in management practices will continue. The agricultural sector will then need to reduce its emissions by about 12.9 Tg CO₂ equivalent below 2010 forecasted emissions, if it is to attain its part of the Canadian government commitment made in Kyoto. Technologies focusing on increasing the soil carbon sink, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the overall farming efficiency, need to be refined and developed as best management practices. The soils carbon sink can be increased through reduced tillage, reduced summer fallowing, increased use of grasslands and forage crops, etc. Key areas for the possible reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are improved soil nutrient management, improved manure storage and handling, better livestock grazing and feeding strategies, etc. The overall impact of these options is dependent on the adoption rate. Agriculture's greenhouse gas reduction commitment could probably be met if soils are recognized as a carbon sink under the Kyoto Accord and if a wide range of management practices are adopted on a large scale. None of these options can currently be recommended as measures because their socio-economic aspects have not been fully evaluated and there are still too many uncertainties in the emission estimates. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gas emissions from liquid dairy manure: complete versus partial storage emptying

When manure slurry is removed from storages for land application, there is often ‘aged’ manure that remains because the storages are not completely emptied. Aged manure may act as an inoculum and alter subsequent methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and ammonia (NH₃) emissions when fresh manure is added to the system, compared to an empty storage that is filled with fresh manure. Completely emptying manure storages may be a practice to decrease gas emissions, however, little pilot-scale research has been conducted to directly quantify the inoculum effect. Therefore, we compared CH₄, N₂O, and NH₃ emissions from three pilot-scale slurry tanks (~10.5 m³ each) filled with a mixture of fresh manure and an inoculum of previously stored manure (i.e., partial emptying) to three tanks that contained only fresh manure (i.e., complete emptying). Gas fluxes were continuously measured over 155 d of warm season storage using flow-through steady-state chambers. The absence of an inoculum significantly reduced CH₄ emissions by 56 % compared to partially emptied (inoculated) tanks, while there was no difference in N₂O emissions. There was a significant 49 % reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because the overall budget (as CO₂-eq) was dominated by CH₄. Complete manure storage emptying could be an effective GHG mitigation strategy; however, NH₃ emissions were significantly higher from un-inoculated tanks due to slower crust formation. Therefore additional NH₃ abatement should be considered.     

Dinitrogen and methane gas production during the anaerobic/anoxic decomposition of animal manure

Trace-gas emissions from animal feeding operations (AFOs) can contribute to air quality and global change gases. Previous and current estimated gas emissions from AFOs vary widely and many do not consider all forms of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) emissions. Studies have found that as methanogenesis in the lagoons increased, conversion of ammonium (NH₄ ⁺) to dinitrogen (N₂) also increased. The purpose of this research was to measure N₂ and CH₄ emissions from swine AFOs in three locations of the U.S. and to evaluate the possible universal relationship between lagoon methanogenesis and the conversion of NH₄ ⁺ to N₂ gas. This relationship was tested by measuring N₂ and CH₄ emissions in two climates at 22 different farms. Methanogenesis was correlated with NH₄ ⁺-to-N₂ conversion by a near-constant N₂ to CH₄ emissions ratio of 0.20, regardless of C loading and climatic effects. The process is shown to be thermodynamically favored when there is competition between NH₄ ⁺ oxidizing reactions. Under methanogenic conditions (redox potentials of methanogenesis) N₂ production is favorable and nitrification/denitrification is not. Thus, N₂ production is stimulated in methanogenic conditions. Evaluation of NH₃ gas emissions from AFOs must consider other N emissions than NH₃. Finally, a statistical model was developed to estimate methane and N₂ emissions (kg gas ha^?1) given feed input per lagoon surface area (kg feed ha^?1) and local air temperature. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in manure processing and isolate the favorable mechanisms into engineering improved manure processing.     

Measurements of N2O and NO emissions during tomato cultivation using a flow-through chamber system in a glasshouse

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO) fluxes resulting from long-term tomato cultivation in a glasshouse were continuously determined using the flow-through chamber method over the course of three cultivation periods. Gas concentrations were measured using an nondispersive infrared (gas filter correlation/infra-red) analyzer and a chemiluminescence-based analyzer, respectively. Following a basal application of fertilizer, daily N₂O and NO emission rates increased, with peaks lasting from 40 to 140 days. Short-term fluctuations in daily N₂O and NO emissions were affected by differences in nitrogen application, soil water, and soil temperature. Diurnal changes in N₂O and NO fluxes during the period of peak emissions depended primarily on soil temperature. Following the application of a top dressing (N as urea or calcium nitrate) in the irrigation water, the N₂O and NO fluxes increased immediately, with a very short period of peak emissions (1–5 h) after urea application. The duration of the peak period in daily accumulated N₂O and NO emissions following application of the top dressing ranged from 3 to 10 days.     

Algorithms for calculating methane and nitrous oxide emissions from manure management

Biogenic emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from animal manure are stimulated by the degradation of volatile solids (VS) which serves as an energy source and a sink for atmospheric oxygen. Algorithms are presented which link carbon and nitrogen turnover in a dynamic prediction of CH₄ and N₂O emissions during handling and use of liquid manure (slurry). A sub-model for CH₄ emissions during storage relates CH₄ emissions to VS, temperature and storage time, and estimates the reduction in VS. A second sub-model estimates N₂O emissions from field-applied slurry as a function of VS, slurry N and soil water potential, but emissions are estimated using emission factors. The model indicated that daily flushing of slurry from cattle houses would reduce total annual CH₄ + N₂O emissions by 35% (CO₂ eq.), and that cooling of pig slurry in-house would reduce total annual CH₄ + N₂O emissions by 21% (CO₂ eq.). Anaerobic digestion of slurry and organic waste produces CH₄ at the expense of VS. Accordingly, the model predicted a 90% reduction of CH₄ emissions from outside stores with digested slurry, and a >50% reduction of N₂O emissions after spring application of digested as opposed to untreated slurry. The sensitivity of the model towards storage temperature and soil water potential was examined. This study indicates that simple algorithms to account for ambient climatic conditions may significantly improve the prediction of CH₄ and N₂O emissions from animal manure.     

Measurement and modeling of nitrous and nitric oxide emissions from a tea field in subtropical central China

Tea fields represent an important source of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions due to high nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications and very low soil pH. To investigate the temporal characteristics of N₂O and NO emissions, daily emissions were measured over 2½ years period using static closed-chamber/gas chromatograph and chemiluminescent measurement system in a tea field of subtropical central China. Our results revealed that N₂O and NO fluxes showed similar temporal trends, which were generally driven by temporal variations in soil temperature and soil moisture content and were also affected by fertilization events. The measured average annual N₂O and NO emissions were 10.9 and 3.3 kg N ha^?1 year^?1, respectively, highlighting the high N₂O and NO emissions from tea fields. To improve our understanding of N-cycling processes in tea ecosystems, we developed a new nitrogenous gas emission module for the water and nitrogen management model (WNMM, V2) that simulated daily N₂O and NO fluxes, in which the NO was simulated as being emitted from both nitrification and nitrite chemical decomposition. The results demonstrated that the WNMM captured the general temporal dynamics of N₂O (NSE = 0.40; R² = 0.52, RMSE = 0.03 kg N ha^?1 day^?1, P < 0.001) and NO (NSE = 0.41; R² = 0.44, RMSE = 0.01 kg N ha^?1 day^?1, P < 0.001) emissions. According to the simulation, denitrification was identified as the dominant process contributing 76.5% of the total N₂O emissions, while nitrification and nitrite chemical decomposition accounted for 52.3 and 47.7% of the total NO emissions, respectively.     

Developing a country specific method for estimating nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils in Canada

Accurate estimates of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural soils and management factors that influence emissions are necessary to capture the impact of mitigation measures and carry out life cycle analyses aimed at identifying best practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We propose improvements to a country specific method for estimating N₂O emissions from agricultural soils in Canada based on a compilation of soil N₂O flux data from recent published literature. We provide a framework for the development of empirical models that could be applied in regions where similar data and information on N₂O emissions are available. The method considers spatial elements such as soil texture, topography and climate based on a quantitative empirical relationship between synthetic N-induced soil N₂O emission factor (EF) and growing season precipitation (P) {N₂OEF?=?e^{(0.00558P?7.7)}}. Emission factors vary from less than 0.0025 kg N₂O-N kg N^?1 in semi-arid regions of Canada to greater than 0.025 kg N₂O-N kg N^?1 in humid regions. This approach differentiates soil N₂O EFs based on management factors. Specifically, empirical ratio factors are applied for sources of N of 1.0, 0.84, and 0.28 for synthetic N, animal manure N and crop residue N, respectively. Crop type ratio factors where soil N₂O EFs from applied manure- and synthetic-N on perennial crops are approximately 19% of those on annual crops. This proposed approach improves the accuracy of the dominant factors that modulate N₂O emissions from N application to soils.

     

Emissions of NH3, N2O and CH4 from dairy cows housed in a farmyard manure tying stall (housing, manure storage, manure spreading)

Emission measurements from dairy cows housed in a tying stall were carried out with the aim of finding factors that influence the amount of emissions and means to reduce emissions. All sectors of animal husbandry were investigated. This enabled calculations of emissions for the whole management system including housing, storage and spreading of manure. Emissions during aerobic composting and anaerobic stacking of farmyard manure were compared. NH₃ and N₂O emissions from tying stalls for dairy cows are low (5.8 g NH₃ LU⁻¹ d⁻¹, 619.2 mg N₂O LU⁻¹ d⁻¹). Methane emissions from the animal housing are mainly caused by enteric fermentation. During storage and after spreading of farmyard manure substantial differences concerning NH₃, N₂O and CH₄ emissions were observed with composted and anaerobically stacked farmyard manure. The compost emitted more NH₃ than the anaerobically stacked farmyard manure. About one third of the NH₃ emissions from the anaerobically stacked farmyard manure occurred after spreading. Total N losses were at a low level with both storage systems. Greenhouse gas emissions (N₂O and CH₄) were much higher from the anaerobically stacked farmyard manure than from the composted one. As these are ecologically harmful gases, they have to be considered when judging the form of manure treatment. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Emissions of nitrous oxide from boreal agricultural clay and loamy sand soils

Long-term studies of greenhouse gas fluxes from agricultural soils in different climate regions are needed to improve the existing calculation models used in greenhouse gas inventories. The aim of this study was to obtain more information on nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural mineral soils in the boreal region. N₂O emissions were studied during 2000–2002 on two soil types in Finland, a loamy sand and a clay with plots of grass, barley and fallow. N₂O fluxes were measured with static chambers throughout the year. Other parameters measured were water filled pore space (WFPS), soil mineral nitrogen concentration, soil porosity, soil temperature and depth of soil frost. The annual fluxes from the clay soil ranged from 3.7 to 7.8 kg N ha^–1 and those from sandy loam from 1.5 to 7.5 kg N ha^–1. On average 60% of the annual fluxes occurred outside the growing season, from October to April. Increasing the number of freeze-thaw events was found to increase the fluxes during winter and during the thawing period in spring. The results suggest that N₂O fluxes from these boreal mineral soils do not vary much as a function of applied fertiliser N and could probably be better estimated from soil physical properties, including soil porosity.     

Greenhouse gas emissions as influenced by wetland vegetation degradation along a moisture gradient on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of North-West China

Vegetation loss and plant diversity decline in wetlands affect carbon and nitrogen cycling and consequently influence gas fluxes. Although extensive grazing by livestock and climate change have caused significant physical degradation of wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), and created a clear drainage gradient, the impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with this change has rarely been reported. A 3-year study (2013–2015) was conducted to examine the effect of vegetation change and seasonality on ecosystem respiration, methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) fluxes in four classes of wetlands with distinct magnitudes of vegetation degradation: healthy vegetation (HV), slightly degraded (SD), moderately degraded, and heavily degraded (HD). We used the dark static chamber-chromatography method to measure the gas fluxes. Highly degraded wetlands were larger C and GHG sources than HV, despite lower methane emissions, due to the loss of gross primary production. SD and HD exhibited the highest cumulative mean annual ecosystem respiration and N₂O emissions, respectively. Ecosystem respiration and CH₄ fluxes were much higher during the growing seasons than in the non-growing seasons. Ecosystem respiration and N₂O fluxes were positively correlated with soil and air temperatures. This points at a potential effect of global warming on GHG emissions from the QTP wetlands. Top soil (0–20 cm) moisture content significantly correlated positively with CH₄ fluxes. Vegetation loss led to a reduced C uptake and increased global warming potential. Therefore, we recommend soil conservation measures and reduced livestock grazing in the wetlands in order to conserve their role as carbon sinks.     

The effect of agricultural practices on methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice field and pot experiments

The authors of this paper measured the methane and nitrous oxide fluxes emissions from rice field with different rice varieties and the two fluxes from pot experiments with different soil water regime and fertilizer treatment. The experiment results showed that: (1) The CH₄ emission rates were different among different varieties; (2) There was a trade-off between CH₄ and N₂O emissions from rice field with some agricultural practices; (3) We must consider the mitigation options comprehensively to mitigate CH₄ and N₂O emissions from rice fields. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.