Mechanisms of nitrous oxide (N2 O) formation and reduction in denitrifying biofilms.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabba, Fabrizio; Picioreanu, Cristian; Nerenberg, Robert

2017-12-01

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a potent greenhouse gas that can be formed in wastewater treatment processes by ammonium oxidizing and denitrifying microorganisms. While N 2 O emissions from suspended growth systems have been extensively studied, and some recent studies have addressed emissions from nitrifying biofilms, much less is known about N 2 O emissions from denitrifying biofilm processes. This research used modeling to evaluate the mechanisms of N 2 O formation and reduction in denitrifying biofilms. The kinetic model included formation and consumption of key denitrification species, including nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), nitric oxide (NO), and N 2 O. The model showed that, in presence of excess of electron donor, denitrifying biofilms have two distinct layers of activity: an outer layer where there is net production of N 2 O and an inner layer where there is net consumption. The presence of oxygen (O 2 ) had an important effect on N 2 O emission from suspended growth systems, but a smaller effect on biofilm systems. The effects of NO3- and O 2 differed significantly based on the biofilm thickness. Overall, the effects of biofilm thickness and bulk substrate concentrations on N 2 O emissions are complex and not always intuitive. A key mechanism for denitrifying biofilms is the diffusion of N 2 O and other intermediates from one zone of the biofilm to another. This leads to zones of N 2 O formation or consumption transformations that would not exist in suspended growth systems. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Slowdown of N2O emissions from China's croplands

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, F.; Shang, Z.; Ciais, P.; Piao, S.; Tian, H.; Saikawa, E.; Zaehle, S.; Del Grosso, S. J.; Galloway, J. N.

2016-12-01

To feed the increasing population, China has experienced a rapid agricultural development over past decades, accompanied by increased fertilizer consumptions in croplands, but the magnitude, trend, and causes of the associated nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions has remain unclear. The primary sources of this uncertainty are conflicting estimates of fertilizer consumption and emission factors, the latter being uncertain because of very few regional representativeness of the Nrate-flux relationships in China. Here we re-estimate China's N2O emissions from croplands using three different methods: flux upscaling technique, process-based models and atmospheric inversion, and also analyze the corresponding drivers using an attribution approach. The three methods produce similar estimates of N2O emissions in the range of 0.67 ± 0.08 to 0.62± 0.11 Tg nitrogen per year, which is 29% larger than the estimates by the Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) that is adopted by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the emission baseline and twofold larger than the latest Chinese national report submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but the revised trend slows down after 2005. Fertilizer N application per area is the dominant factor driving the increase in N2O emissions across most cropping regions from 1990 to 2004, but climate-induced change of emission factors has also controlled N2O flux from 2005 onwards. Our findings suggest that, as precipitation would increase in North China but decline in the South in future, EF will increasingly control China's agri. soil emissions of N2O, unless offset by larger reductions of fertilizer consumptions.

Yield-scaled N2O emissions in a winter wheat - summer corn double-cropping system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Qin, S.; Wang, Y.; Hu, C.; Oenema, O.; Li, X.; Zhang, Y.; Dong, W.

2012-01-01

Emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) from agricultural soils contribute to global warming and stratospheric ozone depletion. Applications of fertilizer nitrogen (N) increase N2O emission, but also increase agricultural production. Here, we report on the responses of crop yield, N2O emission and

Continuous measurements of N2O emissions from arable fields

Science.gov (United States)

Wallman, Magdalena; Lammirato, Carlo; Rütting, Tobias; Delin, Sofia; Weslien, Per; Klemedtsson, Leif

2017-04-01

Agriculture represents 59 % of the anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, according to the IPCC (Ciais et al. 2013). N2O emissions are typically irregular and vary widely in time and space, which makes it difficult to get a good representation of the emissions (Henault et al. 2012), particularly if measurements have low frequency and/or cover only a short time period. Manual measurements are, for practical reasons, often short-term and low-frequent, or restricted to periods where emissions are expected to be high, e.g. after fertilizing. However, the nature of N2O emissions, being largely unpredictable, calls for continuous or near-continuous measurements over long time periods. So far, rather few long-term, high resolution measurements of N2O emissions from arable fields are reported; among them are Flessa et al. (2002) and Senapati et al. (2016). In this study, we have a two-year data set (2015-2017) with hourly measurements from ten automatic chambers, covering unfertilized controls as well as different nitrogen fertilizer treatments. Grain was produced on the field, and effects of tillage, harvest and other cropping measures were covered. What we can see from the experiment is that (a) the unfertilized control plots seem to follow the same emission pattern as the fertilized plots, at a level similar to the standard mineral fertilized plots (120 kg N ha-1 yr-1) and (b) freeze/thaw emissions are comparable in size to emissions after fertilizing. These two findings imply that the importance of fertilizing to the overall N2O emissions from arable soils may be smaller than previously expected. References: Ciais, P., C. Sabine, G. Bala, L. Bopp, V. Brovkin, J. Canadell et al. 2013: Carbon and Other Biogeochemical Cycles. In: Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Stocker, T.F., D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S.K. Allen, J. Boschung et

Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N2 O) emission from swine wastewater treatment in an aerobic bioreactor packed with carbon fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Takahiro; Yamamoto-Ikemoto, Ryoko; Yokoyama, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Hirofumi; Ogino, Akifumi; Osada, Takashi

2015-03-01

Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N2 O) emission from swine wastewater treatment was demonstrated in an aerobic bioreactor packed with carbon fibers (CF reactor). The CF reactor had a demonstrated advantage in mitigating N2 O emission and avoiding NOx (NO3  + NO2 ) accumulation. The N2 O emission factor was 0.0003 g N2 O-N/gTN-load in the CF bioreactor compared to 0.03 gN2 O-N/gTN-load in an activated sludge reactor (AS reactor). N2 O and CH4 emissions from the CF reactor were 42 g-CO2 eq/m(3) /day, while those from the AS reactor were 725 g-CO2 eq/m(3) /day. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in the CF reactor removed an average of 156 mg/L of the NH4 -N, and accumulated an average of 14 mg/L of the NO3 -N. In contrast, the DIN in the AS reactor removed an average 144 mg/L of the NH4 -N and accumulated an average 183 mg/L of the NO3 -N. NO2 -N was almost undetectable in both reactors. © 2014 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Extreme emission of N2O from tropical wetland soil (Pantanal, South America)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lars Liengård; Nielsen, Lars Peter; Revsbech, Niels Peter

2013-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is an important greenhouse gas and ozone depleter, but the global budget of N(2)O remains unbalanced. Currently, ~25% of the global N(2)O emission is ascribed to uncultivated tropical soils, but the exact locations and controlling mechanisms are not clear. Here we present...... the first study of soil N(2)O emission from the Pantanal indicating that this South American wetland may be a significant natural source of N(2)O. At three sites, we repeatedly measured in situ fluxes of N(2)O and sampled porewater nitrate [Formula: see text] during the low water season in 2008 and 2009....... In 2010, 10 sites were screened for in situ fluxes of N(2)O and soil [Formula: see text] content. The in situ fluxes of N(2)O were comparable to fluxes from heavily fertilized forests or agricultural soils. An important parameter affecting N(2)O emission rate was precipitation, inducing peak emissions...

NOx, N2O and SO2 emissions from pressurized fluidized bed combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korpela, T.; Lu, Y.

1996-01-01

This project continues the analysis of available data from the experimental work at the Otaniemi PFBC test rig using various solid fuels. The study concentrates on the emission and control of NO x N 2 O, and SO 2 under pressurized conditions. The aim of the study is to prepare the database from the available data and make empirical correlations for estimating nitrogen oxide emissions and sulfur capture from PFBC as a function of significant operating parameters and fuel properties. As the first generation of an empirical model, multiple linear regression was developed for predicting NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 emissions from PFBC. These correlations may facilitate preliminary FBC design by estimating NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 emissions. On the basis of statistical inference, the operating conditions employed and the fuel properties selected in the correlations may lend insight into the mechanisms of the formation and destruction of NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 . (author)

Evaluating four N2O emission algorithms in RZWQM2 in response to N rate on an irrigated corn field

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soils are major contributors to greenhouse gases. Correctly assessing the effects of the interactions between agricultural practices and environmental factors on N2O emissions is required for better crop and nitrogen (N) management. We used an enhanced...

Oceanic N2O emissions in the 21st century

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Rey, J.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.; Tagliabue, A.; Gruber, N.

2014-12-01

The ocean is a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but little is known on how this flux might change in the future. Here, we investigate the potential evolution of marine N2O emissions in the 21st century in response to anthropogenic climate change using the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES. We implemented two different parameterizations of N2O production, which differ primarily at low oxygen (O2) conditions. When forced with output from a climate model simulation run under the business-as-usual high CO2 concentration scenario (RCP8.5), our simulations suggest a decrease of 4 to 12% in N2O emissions from 2005 to 2100, i.e., a reduction from 4.03/3.71 to 3.54/3.56 Tg N yr-1 depending on the parameterization. The emissions decrease strongly in the western basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while they tend to increase above the Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZs), i.e., in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and in the northern Indian Ocean. The reduction in N2O emissions is caused on the one hand by weakened nitrification as a consequence of reduced primary and export production, and on the other hand by stronger vertical stratification, which reduces the transport of N2O from the ocean interior to the ocean surface. The higher emissions over the OMZ are linked to an expansion of these zones under global warming, which leads to increased N2O production associated primarily with denitrification. From the perspective of a global climate system, the averaged feedback strength associated with the projected decrease in oceanic N2O emissions amounts to around -0.009 W m-2 K-1, which is comparable to the potential increase from terrestrial N2O sources. However, the assesment for a compensation between the terrestrial and marine feedbacks calls for an improved representation of N2O production terms in fully coupled next generation of Earth System Models.

Towards an agronomic assessment of N2O emissions: a case study for arable crops

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenigen, van J.W.; Velthof, G.L.; Oenema, O.; Groenigen, van K.J.; Kessel, van C.

2010-01-01

Agricultural soils are the main anthropogenic source of nitrous oxide (N2O), largely because of nitrogen (N) fertilizer use. Commonly, N2O emissions are expressed as a function of N application rate. This suggests that smaller fertilizer applications always lead to smaller N2O emissions. Here we

N2O emission from plant surfaces - light stimulated and a global phenomenon.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikkelsen, Teis; Bruhn, Dan; Ambus, Per

2017-04-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important long-lived greenhouse gas and precursor of stratospheric ozone depleting mono-nitrogen oxides. The atmospheric concentration of N2O is persistently increasing; however, large uncertainties are associated with the distinct source strengths. Here we investigate for the first time N2O emission from terrestrial vegetation in response to natural solar ultra violet radiation. We conducted field site measurements to investigate N2O atmosphere exchange from grass vegetation exposed to solar irradiance with and without UV-screening. Further laboratory tests were conducted with a range of species to study the controls and possible loci of UV-induced N2O emission from plants. Plants released N2O in response to natural sunlight at rates of c. 20-50 nmol m-2 h-1, mostly due to the UV component. The emission rate is temperature dependent with a rather high activation energy indicative for an abiotic process. The prevailing zone for the N2O formation appears to be at the very surface of leaves. However, only c. 26% of the UV-induced N2O appears to originate from plant-N. Further, the process is dependent on atmospheric oxygen concentration. Our work demonstrates that ecosystem emission of the important greenhouse gas, N2O, may be up to c. 30% higher than hitherto assumed. Literature: Mikkelsen TN, Bruhn D & Ambus P. (2016). Solar UV Irradiation-Induced Production of Greenhouse Gases from Plant Surfaces: From Leaf to Earth. Progress in Botany, DOI 10.1007/124_2016_10. Bruhn D, Albert KR, Mikkelsen TN & Ambus P. (2014). UV-induced N2O emission from plants. Atmospheric Environment 99, 206-214.

Effects of Carbon and Cover Crop Residues on N2O and N2 Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, M.; Cooperman, Y.; Horwath, W. R.

2016-12-01

In Mediterranean climate, nitrous oxide emissions occurring with the first rainfall after the dry summer season can contribute up to 50% of agricultural systems' total annual emissions, but the drivers of these emissions have not been clearly identified, and there are only few measurements of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) production (denitrification) during these events. In lab incubations, we investigated N2O and N2 production, gross ammonification and nitrification, and microbial N immobilization with wet-up in soil from a vineyard that was previously fallow or where cover crop residue had been incorporated the previous spring. Before the first rainfall, we measured 120 mg dissolved organic carbon (DOC-C) kg-1 soil in the 0-5 cm layer of this vineyard, and after the rain 10 mg DOC-C kg-1, while nitrate levels before the rain were cover cropped soil. The N2O/N2 production was 2, 7, 9, and 86% in fallow, legume-grass mixture, rye, and legume cover cropped soil. The N2O/N2 ratio tended to increase with lower DOC (post-rain) levels in the soil. The results suggest that accumulated carbon in dry surface soil is the main driving factor of N2O and N2 emissions through denitrification with the first rainfall after prolonged dry periods.

N2O isotopomers and N2:N2O ratio as indicators of denitrification in ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mander, Ülo; Zaman, Mohammad

2015-01-01

The world is experiencing climate change and variability due to increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The main GHG’s of concern are nitrous oxide (N 2 O), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ). Agriculture contributes approximately 14% of the world’s GHG emissions. Nitrous oxide is one of the key GHG and ozone (O 3 ) depleting gas, constituting 7% of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect. On a molecular basis, N 2 O has a 310- and 16-fold greater global warming potential than each of CO 2 and CH 4 , respectively, over a 100-year period. Nitrous oxide can be produced through both chemical and biochemical pathways. They occur during denitrification (the stepwise conversion of nitrate (NO 3 - ) to nitrogen gas (N 2 ) and during nitrification by ammonia-oxidizing archea (bacteria) during the oxidation of hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) to nitrite (NO 2 - ) which is then reduced to N 2 O and N 2 by nitrifier denitrification or heterotrophic denitrification

Uncertainty propagation analysis of an N2O emission model at the plot and landscape scale

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nol, L.; Heuvelink, G.B.M.; Veldkamp, A.; Vries, de W.; Kros, J.

2010-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from agricultural land is an important component of the total annual greenhouse gas (GHG) budget. In addition, uncertainties associated with agricultural N2O emissions are large. The goals of this work were (i) to quantify the uncertainties of modelled N2O emissions

Oxide, interface, and border traps in thermal, N2O, and N2O-nitrided oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleetwood, D.M.; Saks, N.S.

1996-01-01

We have combined thermally stimulated-current (TSC) and capacitance endash voltage (C endash V) measurements to estimate oxide, interface, and effective border trap densities in 6 endash 23 nm thermal, N 2 O, and N 2 O-nitrided oxides exposed to ionizing radiation or high-field electron injection. Defect densities depend strongly on oxide processing, but radiation exposure and moderate high-field stress lead to similar trapped hole peak thermal energy distributions (between ∼1.7 and ∼2.0 eV) for all processes. This suggests that similar defects dominate the oxide charge trapping properties in these devices. Radiation-induced hole and interface trap generation efficiencies (0.1%endash 1%) in the best N 2 O and N 2 O-nitrided oxides are comparable to the best radiation hardened oxides in the literature. After ∼10 Mrad(SiO 2 ) x-ray irradiation or ∼10 mC/cm 2 constant current Fowler endash Nordheim injection, effective border trap densities as high as ∼5x10 11 cm -2 are inferred from C endash V hysteresis. These measurements suggest irradiation and high-field stress cause similar border trap energy distributions. In each case, even higher densities of compensating trapped electrons in the oxides (up to 2x10 12 cm -2 ) are inferred from combined TSC and C endash V measurements. These trapped electrons prevent conventional C endash V methods from providing accurate estimates of the total oxide trap charge density in many irradiation or high-field stress studies. Fewer compensating electrons per trapped hole (∼26%±5%) are found for irradiation of N 2 O and N 2 O-nitrided oxides than for thermal oxides (∼46%±7%). (Abstract Truncated)

Improving and disaggregating N_2O emission factors for ruminant excreta on temperate pasture soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krol, D.J.; Carolan, R.; Minet, E.; McGeough, K.L.; Watson, C.J.; Forrestal, P.J.; Lanigan, G.J.; Richards, K.G.

2016-01-01

Cattle excreta deposited on grazed grasslands are a major source of the greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N_2O). Currently, many countries use the IPCC default emission factor (EF) of 2% to estimate excreta-derived N_2O emissions. However, emissions can vary greatly depending on the type of excreta (dung or urine), soil type and timing of application. Therefore three experiments were conducted to quantify excreta-derived N_2O emissions and their associated EFs, and to assess the effect of soil type, season of application and type of excreta on the magnitude of losses. Cattle dung, urine and artificial urine treatments were applied in spring, summer and autumn to three temperate grassland sites with varying soil and weather conditions. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured from the three experiments over 12 months to generate annual N_2O emission factors. The EFs from urine treated soil was greater (0.30–4.81% for real urine and 0.13–3.82% for synthetic urine) when compared with dung (− 0.02–1.48%) treatments. Nitrous oxide emissions were driven by environmental conditions and could be predicted by rainfall and temperature before, and soil moisture deficit after application; highlighting the potential for a decision support tool to reduce N_2O emissions by modifying grazing management based on these parameters. Emission factors varied seasonally with the highest EFs in autumn and were also dependent on soil type, with the lowest EFs observed from well-drained and the highest from imperfectly drained soil. The EFs averaged 0.31 and 1.18% for cattle dung and urine, respectively, both of which were considerably lower than the IPCC default value of 2%. These results support both lowering and disaggregating EFs by excreta type. - Highlights: • N_2O emissions were measured from cattle excreta applied to pasture. • N_2O was universally higher from urine compared with dung. • N_2O was driven by rainfall, temperature and soil moisture deficit. • Emission

Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production: methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlsson-Kanyama, Annika

2007-01-01

It is well known that the agriculture and livestock sectors are large contributors of N 2 O and CH 4 emissions in countries with agricultural activities and that remedial measures are needed in these sectors in order to curb contributions to global warming. This study examines non- CO 2 greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of food. Methane (CH 4 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) are the most relevant greenhouse gases in this category, and they are emitted mainly in the agricultural sector. These greenhouse gases have a Global Warming Potential much higher than CO 2 itself (25- and 298-fold higher, respectively, in a 100-year perspective). Emission intensities and the corresponding uncertainties were calculated based on the latest procedures and data published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and used to facilitate calculations comparing greenhouse gas emissions for food products and diets. When the proposed emission intensities were applied to agricultural production, the results showed products of animal origin and the cultivation of rice under water to have high emissions compared with products of vegetable origin cultivated on upland soils, such as wheat and beans. In animal production the main source of greenhouse gas emissions was methane from enteric fermentation, while emissions of nitrous oxides from fertilisers were the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions for cereal and legume cultivation. For rice cultivation, methane emissions from flooded rice fields contributed most. Other significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions during animal production were manure storage and management. We suggest that the proposed emission factors, together with the associated uncertainties, can be a tool for better understanding the potential to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases through changes in the diet

Microhabitat Effects on N2O Emissions from Floodplain Soils under Controlled Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Ley, Martin; Lehmann, Moritz F.; Niklaus, Pascal A.; Kuhn, Thomas; Luster, Jörg

2016-04-01

Semi-terrestrial soils such as floodplain soils are considered to be potential hotspots of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The quantitative assessment of N2O release from these hotspots under field conditions, and of the microbial pathways that underlie net N2O production (ammonium oxidation, nitrifier-denitrification, and denitrification) is challenging because of their high spatial and temporal variability. The production and consumption of N2O appears to be linked to the presence or absence of micro-niches, providing specific conditions that may be favorable to either of the relevant microbial pathways. Flood events have been shown to trigger moments of enhanced N2O emission through a close coupling of niches with high and low oxygen availabilities. This coupling might be modulated by microhabitat effects related to soil aggregate formation, root soil interactions and the degradation of organic matter accumulations. In order to assess how these factors can modulate N2O production and consumption under simulated flooding/drying conditions, we have set up a mesocosm experiment with N-rich floodplain soils comprising different combinations of soil aggregate size classes and inert matrix material. These model soils were either planted with basket willow (Salix viminalis L.), mixed with leaf litter, or left untreated. Throughout a simulated flood event, we repeatedly measured the net N2O production rate. In addition, soil water content, redox potential, as well as C and N substrate availability were monitored. In order to gain insight into the sources of, and biogeochemical controls on N2O production, we also measured the bulk δ15N signature of the produced N2O, as well as its intramolecular 15N site preference (SP). In this presentation we focus on a period of enhanced N2O emission during the drying phase after 48 hrs of flooding. We will discuss the observed emission patterns in the context of possible treatment effects. Soils with large aggregates showed a

Estimation of N2O emission factors for soils depending on environmental conditions and crop management

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lesschen, J.P.; Velthof, G.L.

2009-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes 8% to anthropogenic global warming, of which about one third are direct emissions of agricultural soils. These N2O emissions are often estimated using the default IPCC 2006 emission factor of 1% of the amount of N applied for mineral fertilizer, manure and crop

Improving and disaggregating N{sub 2}O emission factors for ruminant excreta on temperate pasture soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krol, D.J., E-mail: kroldj@tcd.ie [Teagasc, Crops, Land Use and Environment Programme, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford (Ireland); Carolan, R. [Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Belfast BT9 5PX (Ireland); Minet, E. [Teagasc, Crops, Land Use and Environment Programme, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford (Ireland); McGeough, K.L.; Watson, C.J. [Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Belfast BT9 5PX (Ireland); Forrestal, P.J. [Teagasc, Crops, Land Use and Environment Programme, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford (Ireland); Lanigan, G.J., E-mail: gary.lanigan@teagasc.ie [Teagasc, Crops, Land Use and Environment Programme, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford (Ireland); Richards, K.G. [Teagasc, Crops, Land Use and Environment Programme, Johnstown Castle, Co., Wexford (Ireland)

2016-10-15

Cattle excreta deposited on grazed grasslands are a major source of the greenhouse gas (GHG) nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O). Currently, many countries use the IPCC default emission factor (EF) of 2% to estimate excreta-derived N{sub 2}O emissions. However, emissions can vary greatly depending on the type of excreta (dung or urine), soil type and timing of application. Therefore three experiments were conducted to quantify excreta-derived N{sub 2}O emissions and their associated EFs, and to assess the effect of soil type, season of application and type of excreta on the magnitude of losses. Cattle dung, urine and artificial urine treatments were applied in spring, summer and autumn to three temperate grassland sites with varying soil and weather conditions. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured from the three experiments over 12 months to generate annual N{sub 2}O emission factors. The EFs from urine treated soil was greater (0.30–4.81% for real urine and 0.13–3.82% for synthetic urine) when compared with dung (− 0.02–1.48%) treatments. Nitrous oxide emissions were driven by environmental conditions and could be predicted by rainfall and temperature before, and soil moisture deficit after application; highlighting the potential for a decision support tool to reduce N{sub 2}O emissions by modifying grazing management based on these parameters. Emission factors varied seasonally with the highest EFs in autumn and were also dependent on soil type, with the lowest EFs observed from well-drained and the highest from imperfectly drained soil. The EFs averaged 0.31 and 1.18% for cattle dung and urine, respectively, both of which were considerably lower than the IPCC default value of 2%. These results support both lowering and disaggregating EFs by excreta type. - Highlights: • N{sub 2}O emissions were measured from cattle excreta applied to pasture. • N{sub 2}O was universally higher from urine compared with dung. • N{sub 2}O was driven by rainfall, temperature

Prediction of N2O emission from local information with Random Forest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philibert, Aurore; Loyce, Chantal; Makowski, David

2013-01-01

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential 298 times greater than that of CO 2 . In agricultural soils, N 2 O emissions are influenced by a large number of environmental characteristics and crop management techniques that are not systematically reported in experiments. Random Forest (RF) is a machine learning method that can handle missing data and ranks input variables on the basis of their importance. We aimed to predict N 2 O emission on the basis of local information, to rank environmental and crop management variables according to their influence on N 2 O emission, and to compare the performances of RF with several regression models. RF outperformed the regression models for predictive purposes, and this approach led to the identification of three important input variables: N fertilization, type of crop, and experiment duration. This method could be used in the future for prediction of N 2 O emissions from local information. -- Highlights: ► Random Forest gave more accurate N 2 O predictions than regression. ► Missing data were well handled by Random Forest. ► The most important factors were nitrogen rate, type of crop and experiment duration. -- Random Forest, a machine learning method, outperformed the regression models for predicting N 2 O emissions and led to the identification of three important input variables

Novel microelectrode-based online system for monitoring N2O gas emissions during wastewater treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Ricardo; Oehmen, Adrian; Pijuan, Maite

2014-11-04

Clark-type nitrous oxide (N2O) microelectrodes are commonly used for measuring dissolved N2O levels, but have not previously been tested for gas-phase applications, where the N2O emitted from wastewater systems can be directly quantified. In this study, N2O microelectrodes were tested and validated for online gas measurements, and assessed with respect to their temperature, gas flow, composition dependence, gas pressure, and humidity. An exponential correlation between temperature and sensor signal was found, whereas gas flow, composition, pressure, and humidity did not have any influence on the signal. Two of the sensors were tested at different N2O concentration ranges (0-422.3, 0-50, 0-10, and 0-2 ppmv N2O) and exhibited a linear response over each range. The N2O emission dynamics from two laboratory scale sequencing batch reactors performing ammonia or nitrite oxidation were also monitored using one of the microsensors and results were compared with two other analytical methods. Results show that N2O emissions were accurately described with these microelectrodes and support their application for assessing gaseous N2O emissions from wastewater treatment systems. Advantages of the sensors as compared to conventional measurement techniques include a wider quantification range of N2O fluxes, and a single measurement system that can assess both liquid and gas-phase N2O dynamics.

Explaining the doubling of N2 O emissions under elevated CO2 in the Giessen FACE via in-field 15 N tracing.

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, Gerald; Gorenflo, André; Brenzinger, Kristof; Keidel, Lisa; Braker, Gesche; Marhan, Sven; Clough, Tim J; Müller, Christoph

2018-03-23

Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations are expected to increase nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from soils via changes in microbial nitrogen (N) transformations. Several studies have shown that N 2 O emission increases under elevated atmospheric CO 2 (eCO 2 ), but the underlying processes are not yet fully understood. Here, we present results showing changes in soil N transformation dynamics from the Giessen Free Air CO 2 Enrichment (GiFACE): a permanent grassland that has been exposed to eCO 2 , +20% relative to ambient concentrations (aCO 2 ), for 15 years. We applied in the field an ammonium-nitrate fertilizer solution, in which either ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-) was labelled with 15 N. The simultaneous gross N transformation rates were analysed with a 15 N tracing model and a solver method. The results confirmed that after 15 years of eCO 2 the N 2 O emissions under eCO 2 were still more than twofold higher than under aCO 2 . The tracing model results indicated that plant uptake of NH4+ did not differ between treatments, but uptake of NO3- was significantly reduced under eCO 2 . However, the NH4+ and NO3- availability increased slightly under eCO 2 . The N 2 O isotopic signature indicated that under eCO 2 the sources of the additional emissions, 8,407 μg N 2 O-N/m 2 during the first 58 days after labelling, were associated with NO3- reduction (+2.0%), NH4+ oxidation (+11.1%) and organic N oxidation (+86.9%). We presume that increased plant growth and root exudation under eCO 2 provided an additional source of bioavailable supply of energy that triggered as a priming effect the stimulation of microbial soil organic matter (SOM) mineralization and fostered the activity of the bacterial nitrite reductase. The resulting increase in incomplete denitrification and therefore an increased N 2 O:N 2 emission ratio, explains the doubling of N 2 O emissions. If this occurs over a wide area of grasslands in the future, this positive feedback reaction may

Effects of dicyandiamide and dolomite application on N2O emission from an acidic soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaaban, Muhammad; Wu, Yupeng; Peng, Qi-an; Lin, Shan; Mo, Yongliang; Wu, Lei; Hu, Ronggui; Zhou, Wei

2016-04-01

Soil acidification is a major problem for sustainable agriculture since it limits productivity of several crops. Liming is usually adopted to ameliorate soil acidity that can trigger soil processes such as nitrification, denitrification, and loss of nitrogen (N) as nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. The loss of N following liming of acidic soils can be controlled by nitrification inhibitors (such as dicyandiamide). However, effects of nitrification inhibitors following liming of acidic soils are not well understood so far. Here, we conducted a laboratory study using an acidic soil to examine the effects of dolomite and dicyandiamide (DCD) application on N2O emissions. Three levels of DCD (0, 10, and 20 mg kg(-1); DCD0, DCD10, and DCD20, respectively) were applied to the acidic soil under two levels of dolomite (0 and 1 g kg(-1)) which were further treated with two levels of N fertilizer (0 and 200 mg N kg(-1)). Results showed that N2O emissions were highest at low soil pH levels in fertilizer-treated soil without application of DCD and dolomite. Application of DCD and dolomite significantly (P ≤ 0.001) reduced N2O emissions through decreasing rates of NH4 (+)-N oxidation and increasing soil pH, respectively. Total N2O emissions were reduced by 44 and 13% in DCD20 and dolomite alone treatments, respectively, while DCD20 + dolomite reduced N2O emissions by 54% when compared with DCD0 treatment. The present study suggests that application of DCD and dolomite to acidic soils can mitigate N2O emissions.

Linking N2O emissions from biochar-amended soil to the structure and function of the N-cycling microbial community

Science.gov (United States)

Harter, Johannes; Krause, Hans-Martin; Schuettler, Stefanie; Ruser, Reiner; Fromme, Markus; Scholten, Thomas; Kappler, Andreas; Behrens, Sebastian

2014-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) contributes 8% to global greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural sources represent about 60% of anthropogenic N2O emissions. Most agricultural N2O emissions are due to increased fertilizer application. A considerable fraction of nitrogen fertilizers are converted to N2O by microbiological processes (that is, nitrification and denitrification). Soil amended with biochar (charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass) has been demonstrated to increase crop yield, improve soil quality and affect greenhouse gas emissions, for example, reduce N2O emissions. Despite several studies on variations in the general microbial community structure due to soil biochar amendment, hitherto the specific role of the nitrogen cycling microbial community in mitigating soil N2O emissions has not been subject of systematic investigation. We performed a microcosm study with a water-saturated soil amended with different amounts (0%, 2% and 10% (w/w)) of high-temperature biochar. By quantifying the abundance and activity of functional marker genes of microbial nitrogen fixation (nifH), nitrification (amoA) and denitrification (nirK, nirS and nosZ) using quantitative PCR we found that biochar addition enhanced microbial nitrous oxide reduction and increased the abundance of microorganisms capable of N2-fixation. Soil biochar amendment increased the relative gene and transcript copy numbers of the nosZ-encoded bacterial N2O reductase, suggesting a mechanistic link to the observed reduction in N2O emissions. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the impact of biochar on the nitrogen cycling microbial community and the consequences of soil biochar amendment for microbial nitrogen transformation processes and N2O emissions from soil. PMID:24067258

Archaea produce lower yields of N2 O than bacteria during aerobic ammonia oxidation in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Hink, Linda; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I

2017-12-01

Nitrogen fertilisation of agricultural soil contributes significantly to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which is generated during denitrification and, in oxic soils, mainly by ammonia oxidisers. Although laboratory cultures of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) produce N 2 O, their relative activities in soil are unknown. This work tested the hypothesis that AOB dominate ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production under conditions of high inorganic ammonia (NH 3 ) input, but result mainly from the activity of AOA when NH 3 is derived from mineralisation. 1-octyne, a recently discovered inhibitor of AOB, was used to distinguish N 2 O production resulting from archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation in soil microcosms, and specifically inhibited AOB growth, activity and N 2 O production. In unamended soils, ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were lower and resulted mainly from ammonia oxidation by AOA. The AOA N 2 O yield relative to nitrite produced was half that of AOB, likely due to additional enzymatic mechanisms in the latter, but ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were directly linked in all treatments. Relative contributions of AOA and AOB to N 2 O production, therefore, reflect their respective contributions to ammonia oxidation. These results suggest potential mitigation strategies for N 2 O emissions from fertilised agricultural soils. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

N2O Emission from energy crop fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joergensen, B.J.; Nyholm Joergensen, R.

1996-03-01

The interest in N 2 O emissions from soils with energy crops is a results of its properties as a greenhouse gas, since the global warming potential of N 2 O per unit mass is about 320 times greater than CO 2 . The contribution of N 2 O from the soil to the atmosphere may increase due to agricultural management. Consequently, large N 2 O emissions can lower the reduction of the greenhouse effect achieved by the substitution of fossil fuels by energy crops. For this reason it is crucial to find the crops for combustion with the lowest potential for emission of N 2 O from the soil per produced energy unit. The aims of this study were to assess the annual N 2 O flux from a Miscanthus 'Giganteus' (M. 'Giganteus') and winter rye (Secale cereale) field, and to investigate the factors affecting the N 2 O emission. To obtain these aims a method was developed for measurements in tall crops. The thesis contains a literature review on the N 2 O emission from the soils, a section with development of the technique for N 2 O flux measurements, and an experimental section. Finally, the thesis contains a section where the results are discussed in relation to the use of energy crops. In all the filed studies, the N 2 O emission was measured by using a new developed closed-chamber technique. The main advantages of the chamber method were the ability to contain growing plants up to a height of 3 m, and the relatively large area (2X2m) covered by each other. Soils with annual and perennial crops can be expected to emit less then 3 kg N 2 O ha -1 yr -1 . This amount corresponds to 960 kg CO 2 ha -1 yr -1 compared to a total CO 2 reduction of 10 to 19 tons CO 2 ha -1 yr -1 using the energy crops as substitution for fossil fuels. An efficient way to reduce the N 2 O emission is to exclude use of fertiliser but this also reduces the dry matter yield and consequently also the CO 2 reduction per unit dry matter. Following the guidelines for good agricultural practice concerning the

Studies on nitrogen oxides (NOx and N2O) in pressurized fluidized bed combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Yong

1998-01-01

This thesis describes the experimental studies of nitrogen oxide (NO, NO 2 , N 2 O) emissions in pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC). In the first part of the thesis the background and the objectives of this study are introduced. The second part summarizes the fundamental knowledge about the formation and destruction of nitrogen oxides in coal combustion, particularly in the conditions of PFBC. The instrumentation of test facilities, measurement and data analysis is described in the third part. Then the most important experimental results follow in the next parts. The forth part describes the results from a PFBC test rig and an empirical modelling for predicting the emissions of NO x and N 2 O. Finally, the fundamental work on coal combustion and fuel nitrogen conversion in a PFBC batch reactor is presented. These studies clearly confirm the potential of PFBC technology in the control nitrogen of oxide emissions. The research in the test rig was concentrated on determining the effects of process parameters on the emissions of nitrogen oxides with different fuels. Another objective was to examine the reduction of nitrogen oxides with the control methods in PFBC conditions, including ammonia injection and air staging combustion for reducing NO, and high temperature operations for reducing N 2 0. The results indicate that pressurized operation suppresses the conversion of fuel-N to nitrogen oxides and favors with employing the reduction methods for further nitrogen oxide reduction, for instance the temperature window of NO reduction with ammonia injection has been found to be widened to even lower temperature range. Maximum reductions of 80-85 % with ammonia injection and 75-80 % with air staging combustion were achieved in the conditions examined. Considerably low emissions of N 2 O ( 2 O control, and thermal decomposition proved to be the laming pathway of N 2 O destruction in PFBC. In the examined pressure range, increasing pressure causes a decrease of NO

Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from denitrifying fluidized bed bioreactors (DFBBRs) using calcium.

Science.gov (United States)

Eldyasti, Ahmed; Nakhla, George; Zhu, Jesse

2014-12-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a significant anthropogenic greenhouse gases (AnGHGs) emitted from biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes. In this study, N2O production from denitrifying fluidized bed bioreactors (DFBBR) was reduced using calcium (Ca2+) dosage. The DFBBRs were operated on a synthetic municipal wastewater at four different calcium concentrations ranging from the typical municipal wastewater Ca2+ concentration (60 mg Ca2+/L) to 240 mg Ca2+/L at two different COD/N ratios. N2O emission rates, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), water quality parameters, and microscopic images were monitored regularly in both phases. Calcium concentrations played a significant role in biofilm morphology with the detachment rates for R120Ca, R180Ca, and R240Ca 75% lower than for R60Ca, respectively. The N2O conversion rate at the typical municipal wastewater Ca2+ concentration (R60Ca) was about 0.53% of the influent nitrogen loading as compared with 0.34%, 0.42%, and 0.41% for R120Ca, R180Ca, and R240Ca, respectively corresponding to 21-36% reduction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the N2O emission strength in the U. S. Corn Belt

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Congsheng; Lee, Xuhui; Griffis, Timothy J.; Dlugokencky, Edward J.; Andrews, Arlyn E.

2017-09-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) has a high global warming potential and depletes stratospheric ozone. The U. S. Corn Belt plays an important role in the global anthropogenic N2O budget. To date, studies on local surface N2O emissions and the atmospheric N2O budget have commonly used Lagrangian models. In the present study, we used an Eulerian model - Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model to investigate the relationships between N2O emissions in the Corn Belt and observed atmospheric N2O mixing ratios. We derived a simple equation to relate the emission strengths to atmospheric N2O mixing ratios, and used the derived equation and hourly atmospheric N2O measurements at the KCMP tall tower in Minnesota to constrain agricultural N2O emissions. The modeled spatial patterns of atmospheric N2O were evaluated against discrete observations at multiple tall towers in the NOAA flask network. After optimization of the surface flux, the model reproduced reasonably well the hourly N2O mixing ratios monitored at the KCMP tower. Agricultural N2O emissions in the EDGAR42 database needed to be scaled up by 19.0 to 28.1 fold to represent the true emissions in the Corn Belt for June 1-20, 2010 - a peak emission period. Optimized mean N2O emissions were 3.00-4.38, 1.52-2.08, 0.61-0.81 and 0.56-0.75 nmol m- 2 s- 1 for June 1-20, August 1-20, October 1-20 and December 1-20, 2010, respectively. The simulated spatial patterns of atmospheric N2O mixing ratios after optimization were in good agreement with the NOAA discrete observations during the strong emission peak in June. Such spatial patterns suggest that the underestimate of emissions using IPCC (Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) inventory methodology is not dependent on tower measurement location.

[Research advances in control of N2O emission from municipal solid waste landfill sites].

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Chuan-Yu; Li, Bo; Lü, Hao-Hao; Wu, Wei-Xiang

2012-05-01

Landfill is one of the main approaches for municipal solid waste treatment, and landfill site is a main emission source of greenhouse gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). As a high-efficient trace greenhouse gas, N2O has a very high warming potential, with a warming capacity 296 times of CO2, and has a long-term stability in atmosphere, giving greater damage to the ozone layer. Aiming at the researches in the control of N2O emission from municipal solid waste landfill sites, this paper summarized the characteristics and related affecting factors of the N2O emission from the landfill sites, and put forward a series of the measures adaptable to the N2O emission control of present municipal solid waste landfill sites in China. Some further research focuses on the control of N2O emission from the landfill sites were also presented.

Spatial variability of nitrous oxide and methane emissions from an MBT landfill in operation: Strong N2O hotspots at the working face

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harborth, Peter; Fuß, Roland; Münnich, Kai; Flessa, Heinz; Fricke, Klaus

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► First measurements of N 2 O and CH 4 emissions from an MBT landfill. ► High N 2 O emissions from recently deposited material. ► N 2 O emissions associated with aeration and the occurrence of nitrite and nitrate. ► Strong negative correlation between CH 4 and N 2 O production activity. - Abstract: Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is an effective technique, which removes organic carbon from municipal solid waste (MSW) prior to deposition. Thereby, methane (CH 4 ) production in the landfill is strongly mitigated. However, direct measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from full-scale MBT landfills have not been conducted so far. Thus, CH 4 and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from a German MBT landfill in operation as well as their concentrations in the landfill gas (LFG) were measured. High N 2 O emissions of 20–200 g CO 2 eq. m −2 h −1 magnitude (up to 428 mg N m −2 h −1 ) were observed within 20 m of the working face. CH 4 emissions were highest at the landfill zone located at a distance of 30–40 m from the working face, where they reached about 10 g CO 2 eq. m −2 h −1 . The MBT material in this area has been deposited several weeks earlier. Maximum LFG concentration for N 2 O was 24.000 ppmv in material below the emission hotspot. At a depth of 50 cm from the landfill surface a strong negative correlation between N 2 O and CH 4 concentrations was observed. From this and from the distribution pattern of extractable ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate it has been concluded that strong N 2 O production is associated with nitrification activity and the occurrence of nitrite and nitrate, which is initiated by oxygen input during waste deposition. Therefore, CH 4 mitigation measures, which often employ aeration, could result in a net increase of GHG emissions due to increased N 2 O emissions, especially at MBT landfills

Evidence for involvement of gut-associated denitrifying bacteria in emission of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) by earthworms obtained from garden and forest soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Matthies, C; Griesshammer, A; Schmittroth, M; Drake, H L

1999-08-01

Earthworms (Aporrectodea caliginosa, Lumbricus rubellus, and Octolasion lacteum) obtained from nitrous oxide (N(2)O)-emitting garden soils emitted 0.14 to 0.87 nmol of N(2)O h(-1) g (fresh weight)(-1) under in vivo conditions. L. rubellus obtained from N(2)O-emitting forest soil also emitted N(2)O, which confirmed previous observations (G. R. Karsten and H. L. Drake, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63:1878-1882, 1997). In contrast, commercially obtained Lumbricus terrestris did not emit N(2)O; however, such worms emitted N(2)O when they were fed (i.e., preincubated in) garden soils. A. caliginosa, L. rubellus, and O. lacteum substantially increased the rates of N(2)O emission of garden soil columns and microcosms. Extrapolation of the data to in situ conditions indicated that N(2)O emission by earthworms accounted for approximately 33% of the N(2)O emitted by garden soils. In vivo emission of N(2)O by earthworms obtained from both garden and forest soils was greatly stimulated when worms were moistened with sterile solutions of nitrate or nitrite; in contrast, ammonium did not stimulate in vivo emission of N(2)O. In the presence of nitrate, acetylene increased the N(2)O emission rates of earthworms; in contrast, in the presence of nitrite, acetylene had little or no effect on emission of N(2)O. In vivo emission of N(2)O decreased by 80% when earthworms were preincubated in soil supplemented with streptomycin and tetracycline. On a fresh weight basis, the rates of N(2)O emission of dissected earthworm gut sections were substantially higher than the rates of N(2)O emission of dissected worms lacking gut sections, indicating that N(2)O production occurred in the gut rather than on the worm surface. In contrast to living earthworms and gut sections that produced N(2)O under oxic conditions (i.e., in the presence of air), fresh casts (feces) from N(2)O-emitting earthworms produced N(2)O only under anoxic conditions. Collectively, these results indicate that gut

A novel fuzzy-logic control strategy minimizing N2O emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Boiocchi, Riccardo; Gernaey, Krist V; Sin, Gürkan

2017-10-15

A novel control strategy for achieving low N 2 O emissions and low effluent NH 4 + concentration is here proposed. The control strategy uses the measurements of ammonium and nitrate concentrations in inlet and outlet of the aerobic zone of a wastewater treatment plant to calculate a ratio indicating the balance among the microbial groups. More specifically, the ratio will indicate if there is a complete nitrification. In case nitrification is not complete, the controller will adjust the aeration level of the plant in order to inhibit the production of N 2 O from AOB and HB denitrification. The controller was implemented using the fuzzy logic approach. It was comprehensively tested for different model structures and different sets of model parameters with regards to its ability of mitigating N 2 O emissions for future applications in real wastewater treatment plants. It is concluded that the control strategy is useful for those plants having AOB denitrification as the main N 2 O producing process. However, in treatment plants having incomplete NH 2 OH oxidation as the main N 2 O producing pathway, a cascade controller configuration adapting the oxygen supply to respect only the effluent ammonium concentration limits was found to be more effective to ensure low N 2 O emissions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce nitrous oxide emissions from N2 O hotspots.

Science.gov (United States)

Storer, Kate; Coggan, Aisha; Ineson, Phil; Hodge, Angela

2017-12-05

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a potent, globally important, greenhouse gas, predominantly released from agricultural soils during nitrogen (N) cycling. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a mutualistic symbiosis with two-thirds of land plants, providing phosphorus and/or N in exchange for carbon. As AMF acquire N, it was hypothesized that AMF hyphae may reduce N 2 O production. AMF hyphae were either allowed (AMF) or prevented (nonAMF) access to a compartment containing an organic matter and soil patch in two independent microcosm experiments. Compartment and patch N 2 O production was measured both before and after addition of ammonium and nitrate. In both experiments, N 2 O production decreased when AMF hyphae were present before inorganic N addition. In the presence of AMF hyphae, N 2 O production remained low following ammonium application, but increased in the nonAMF controls. By contrast, negligible N 2 O was produced following nitrate application to either AMF treatment. Thus, the main N 2 O source in this system appeared to be via nitrification, and the production of N 2 O was reduced in the presence of AMF hyphae. It is hypothesized that AMF hyphae may be outcompeting slow-growing nitrifiers for ammonium. This has significant global implications for our understanding of soil N cycling pathways and N 2 O production. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Managed grassland alters soil N dynamics and N2O emissions in temperate steppe.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lijun; Xu, Xingliang; Tang, Xuejuan; Xin, Xiaoping; Ye, Liming; Yang, Guixia; Tang, Huajun; Lv, Shijie; Xu, Dawei; Zhang, Zhao

2018-04-01

Reclamation of degraded grasslands as managed grasslands has been increasingly accelerated in recent years in China. Land use change affects soil nitrogen (N) dynamics and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. However, it remains unclear how large-scale grassland reclamation will impact the grassland ecosystem as a whole. Here, we investigated the effects of the conversion from native to managed grasslands on soil N dynamics and N2O emissions by field experiments in Hulunber in northern China. Soil (0-10cm), nitrate (NO 3 - ), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and microbial N were measured in plots in a temperate steppe (Leymus chinensis grassland) and two managed grasslands (Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis grasslands) in 2011 and 2012. The results showed conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M. sativa or B. inermis grasslands decreased concentrations of NO 3 - -N, but did not change NH 4 + -N. Soil microbial N was slightly decreased by the conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M. sativa, but increased by the conversion to B. inermis. The conversion of L. chinensis grassland to M. sativa (i.e., a legume grass) increased N 2 O emissions by 26.2%, while the conversion to the B. inermis (i.e., a non-legume grass) reduced N 2 O emissions by 33.1%. The conversion from native to managed grasslands caused large created variations in soil NO 3 - -N and NH 4 + -N concentrations. Net N mineralization rates did not change significantly in growing season or vegetation type, but to net nitrification rate. These results provide evidence on how reclamation may impact the grassland ecosystem in terms of N dynamics and N 2 O emissions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Factors controlling regional differences in forest soil emission of nitrogen oxides (NO and N₂O)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pilegaard, K.; Skiba, U.; Ambus, P.

2006-01-01

-deposition. The site with the highest average annual emission (82 mu g NO-N m(-2) h(-1)) was a spruce forest in South-Germany (Hoglwald) receiving an annual N-deposition of 2.9 g m(-2). NO emissions close to the detection limit were observed from a pine forest in Finland where the N-deposition was 0.2 N m(-2) a(-1......). No significant correlation between N2O emission and N-deposition was found. The highest average annual N2O emission (20 mu g N2O-Nm(-2) h(-1)) was found in an oak forest in the Matra mountains (Hungary) receiving an annual N-deposition of 1.6 g m(-2). N2O emission was significantly negatively correlated...

New estimates of direct N2O emissions from Chinese croplands from 1980 to 2007 using localized emission factors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. S. Zhang

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Nitrous oxide (N2O is a long-lived greenhouse gas with a large radiation intensity and it is emitted mainly from agricultural land. Accurate estimates of total direct N2O emissions from croplands on a country scale are important for global budgets of anthropogenic sources of N2O emissions and for the development of effective mitigation strategies. The objectives of this study were to re-estimate direct N2O emissions using localized emission factors and a database of measurements from Chinese croplands. We obtained N2O emission factors for paddy fields (0.41 ± 0.04% and uplands (1.05 ± 0.02% from a normalization process through cube root transformation of the original data. After comparing the results of normalization from the original values, Logarithmic and cube root transformations were used because the frequency of the original data was not normally distributed. Direct N2O emissions from Chinese croplands from 1980 to 2007 were estimated using IPCC (2006 guidelines combined with separate localized emission factors for paddy fields and upland areas. Direct N2O emissions from paddy fields showed little change, increasing by 10.5% with an annual rate of increase of 0.4% from 32.3 Gg N2O-N in 1980 to 35.7 Gg N2O-N in 2007. In contrast, emissions from uplands changed dramatically, increasing by 308% with an annual rate of 11% from 68.0 Gg N2O-N in 1980 to 278 Gg N2O-N in 2007. Total direct N2O emissions from Chinese croplands increased by 213% with an annual rate of 7.6% from 100 Gg N2O-N in 1980 to 313 Gg N2O-N in 2007, and were determined mainly by upland emissions (accounting for 67.8–88.6% of total emissions from 1980 to 2007. Synthetic N fertilizers played a major role in N2O emissions from agricultural land, and the magnitude of the contributions to total direct N2O emissions made by different amendments was synthetic N fertilizer > manure > straw, representing about 78, 15, and 6% of total direct N2O emissions, respectively, between

Manure distribution as a predictor of N2O emissions from soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Søren O.; Baral, Khagendra Raj; Arthur, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

Predicting nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from manure-amended soil remains a challenge. One reason may be that spatial heterogeneity in distribution of manure is not accounted for in models of N2O emission, but experimental results suggest that both manure and soil properties affect the distribution...... of manure constituents after field application in a systematic way. Key to predicting the fate of labile carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in manure is to acknowledge that the liquid phase, and a corresponding fraction of labile C and N, is partly absorbed by the bulk soil in response to the water potential...... gradient, and partly retained by particulate manure organic matter. Therefore, boundary conditions for subsequent transformations of C and N may be better described as two separate compartments. In this study, N2O emissions were determined in a 42-day experiment that included two soils (7.5% and 17% clay...

Effects of flooding-induced N2O production, consumption and emission dynamics on the annual N2O emission budget in wetland soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Christian Juncher; Elberling, Bo

2012-01-01

during mid-summer when the WL was at its seasonally lowest counterbalancing ~6.4% of the total annual net N2O emission budget. Main surface emission periods of N2O were observed when the water level and associated peaks in subsurface N2O concentrations were gradually decreasing to soil depths down to 40...... production and consumption capacities where >500 nmol N2O cm-3 were sequentially produced and consumed in less than 24 hrs. It is concluded that a higher future frequency of flooding induced N2O emissions will have a very limited effect on the net annual N2O emission budget as long as NO3- availability...

Greenhouse gas (N2O emission from Portuguese estuaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Célia Gonçalves

2014-07-01

Tagus, Minho and Lima estuaries are source of N2O to the atmosphere. Particularly, in Lima estuary anthropogenic N input seems to play an important role on N2O emission. However, in a global perspective N2O attained emissions represent a reduced fraction (2O yr-1, Barnes and Upstill-Goddard, 2011. Values are comparable with those registered in some Portuguese estuaries and other European less eutrophic estuaries. However, it is known that higher N2O emissions in estuaries may occur during winter and spring (Sun et al., 2014. Thus, these systems may represent on an annual basis a larger source of N2O, which can only be clarified in future studies. Only a full comprehension of the global estuarine nitrogen cycle will provide an efficient basis of scientific knowledge for sustainably management of such ecosystems and ultimately reduce N2O emissions.

Functional diversity of soil invertebrates: a potential tool to explain N2O emission?

Science.gov (United States)

Lubbers, Ingrid; De Deyn, Gerlinde; Drake, Harold; Hunger, Sindy; Oppermann, Timo; van Groenigen, Jan Willem

2017-04-01

Soil biota play a crucial role in the mineralization of nutrients from organic material. However, they can thereby increase emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Our current lack of understanding of the factors controlling N2O production and emission is impeding the development of effective mitigation strategies. It is the challenge to control N2O emissions from production systems without reducing crop yield, and diversity of soil fauna may play a key role. A high functional diversity of soil invertebrates is known to stimulate nitrogen mineralization and thereby plant growth, however, it is unknown whether a high functional diversity of soil invertebrates can concurrently diminish N2O emissions. We hypothesized that increased functional diversity of soil invertebrates reduces faunal-induced N2O emissions by facilitating more complete denitrification through (i) stimulating the activity of denitrifying microbes, and (ii) affecting the distribution of micro and macro pores, creating more anaerobic reaction sites. Using state-of-the-art X-ray tomography and next-generation sequencing, we studied effects of functional diversity on soil structural properties and the diversity of the microbial community (16S rRNA genes and 16S rRNA), and linked these to soil N2O emissions. In a 120-day study we found that the functional composition of the soil invertebrate community determined N2O emissions: earthworm activity was key to faunal-induced N2O emissions (a 32-fold increase after 120 days, Pstructural properties (mean pore size, pore size distribution) were found to be radically altered by earthworm activity. We conclude that the presence of a few functional groups (ecosystem engineers) is more important than overall increased functional diversity in explaining faunal-affected N2O emissions.

Inverse modelling estimates of N2O surface emissions and stratospheric losses using a global dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, R. L.; Bousquet, P.; Chevallier, F.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Vermeulen, A. T.; Aalto, T.; Haszpra, L.; Meinhardt, F.; O'Doherty, S.; Moncrieff, J. B.; Popa, M.; Steinbacher, M.; Jordan, A.; Schuck, T. J.; Brenninkmeijer, C. A.; Wofsy, S. C.; Kort, E. A.

2010-12-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) levels have been steadily increasing in the atmosphere over the past few decades at a rate of approximately 0.3% per year. This trend is of major concern as N2O is both a long-lived Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and an Ozone Depleting Substance (ODS), as it is a precursor of NO and NO2, which catalytically destroy ozone in the stratosphere. Recently, N2O emissions have been recognised as the most important ODS emissions and are now of greater importance than emissions of CFC's. The growth in atmospheric N2O is predominantly due to the enhancement of surface emissions by human activities. Most notably, the intensification and proliferation of agriculture since the mid-19th century, which has been accompanied by the increased input of reactive nitrogen to soils and has resulted in significant perturbations to the natural N-cycle and emissions of N2O. There exist two approaches for estimating N2O emissions, the so-called 'bottom-up' and 'top-down' approaches. Top-down approaches, based on the inversion of atmospheric measurements, require an estimate of the loss of N2O via photolysis and oxidation in the stratosphere. Uncertainties in the loss magnitude contribute uncertainties of 15 to 20% to the global annual surface emissions, complicating direct comparisons between bottom-up and top-down estimates. In this study, we present a novel inversion framework for the simultaneous optimization of N2O surface emissions and the magnitude of the loss, which avoids errors in the emissions due to incorrect assumptions about the lifetime of N2O. We use a Bayesian inversion with a variational formulation (based on 4D-Var) in order to handle very large datasets. N2O fluxes are retrieved at 4-weekly resolution over a global domain with a spatial resolution of 3.75° x 2.5° longitude by latitude. The efficacy of the simultaneous optimization of emissions and losses is tested using a global synthetic dataset, which mimics the available atmospheric data. Lastly, using real

Effect of fertilizer nitrogen management on N2O emissions in commercial corn fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zebarth, B.J.; Rochette, P.; Burton, D.L.; Price, M.

2008-01-01

Corn crops receive higher fertilizer nitrogen (N) application rates than many other crops. Pre-sidedress soil nitrate tests (PSNT) are used to determine how much fertilizer N is applied at the sidedress of corn crops, and can provide an opportunity to reduce fertilizer N application rates and delay the timing of fertilizer N applications which contribute to nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions into the atmosphere. This study examined how the rate and time of fertilizer N application influence N 2 O emissions in corn crops grown in alluvial soils in Atlantic Canada. Starter fertilizer was applied at 45 and 59 kg N per hectare (ha) in 2004 and 2005. Treatments included the application of 75 or 150 kg N per ha banded at a sidedress, and 150 kg N per ha broadcast at the emergence of the crops. Soil mineral N content was measured using a soil core method. Cumulative N 2 O emissions were calculated using a linear interpolation method between sampling dates. Results showed that delays in fertilizer application to the sidedress, and reductions in fertilizer N application reduced nitrate (NO 3 ) intensity but had no impact on cumulative N 2 O emissions. It was concluded that further research is needed to understand controls on denitrification and N 2 O emissions. 28 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs

Simulating soil N2O emissions and heterotrophic CO2 respiration in arabe systems using FASSET and MoBiLE-DNDC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chirinda, Ngonidzashe; Kracher, Daniele; Lægdsmand, Mette

2011-01-01

Modelling of soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is complicated by complex interactions between processes and factors influencing their production, consumption and transport. In this study N2O emissions and heterotrophic CO2 respiration were simulated from soils under w...... mineral nitrogen, which seemed to originate from deficiencies in simulating degradation of soil organic matter, incorporated residues of catch crops and organic fertilizers. To improve the performance of the models, organic matter decomposition parameters need to be revised.......Modelling of soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is complicated by complex interactions between processes and factors influencing their production, consumption and transport. In this study N2O emissions and heterotrophic CO2 respiration were simulated from soils under...... winter wheat grown in three different organic and one inorganic fertilizer-based cropping system using two different models, i.e., MoBiLE-DNDC and FASSET. The two models were generally capable of simulating most seasonal trends of measured soil heterotrophic CO2 respiration and N2O emissions. Annual soil...

NOx and N2O emission control with catalyst's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiltunen, M.

1994-01-01

Due to the increasingly stringent emission regulations, new technologies are needed to be developed for improving emission control in circulating fluidized-bed boilers. The objective of this project is to test the concept of using catalysts for NO x and N 2 O emission control. N 2 O emission is in the range of 30 - 100 ppm from fluidized bed combustors burning coal. Since it is a greenhouse gas an effective means of controlling N 2 O emission is needed

Emission control of odour and N{sub 2}O from a mechanical biological pretreatment; Geruchsstoffe und N{sub 2}O im Abgas einer mechanisch-biologischen Abfallbehandlungsanlage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cuhls, C.; Clemens, J. [Gesellschaft fuer Wissenstransfer, Bonn (Germany); Stockinger, J.; Doedens, H. [Hannover Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Siedlungswasserwirtschaft und Abfalltechnik

2002-04-01

Within the mechanical biological pretreatment (MBP) the aerobic treatment of waste is the major source of gaseous emissions. So far, the exhaust air has been treated by biofilters. But biofilters may act as a source of nitric and nitrous oxide (NO and N{sub 2}O) formed by excess ammonia (NH{sub 3}) and cannot oxidize methane (CH{sub 4}). As a consequence, biofilters may not be suitable to match the demands of the 30. Immission Ordinance (BImSchV). Thermal oxidation is able to keep total carbon below the new thresholds. NH{sub 3} is transformed to NO and NO{sub 2} uring the thermal oxidation. Depending on the oxidation temperature N{sub 2}O may be formed. When exhaust air was treated by scrubbing with mineral acid, N{sub 2}O, NO{sub x} and odour emissions were reduced. Four different teams measured odour concentrations in the treated air. There were differences of factor 10 between the results even when the teams analysed the same sample with the same olfactometer. These results suggest to improve the methodology of odour measurements at least for this application. (orig.)

Earthworm-induced N mineralization in fertilized grassland increases both N2O emission and crop-N uptake

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubbers, I.M.; Brussaard, L.; Otten, W.; Groenigen, van J.W.

2011-01-01

Earthworms can increase plant nitrogen (N) availability by stimulating mineralization of organic matter. However, recent studies show that they can also cause elevated emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). It is unclear to what extent these two effects occur in fertilized grasslands,

Global distribution of N2O emissions from aquatic systems : natural emissions and anthropogenic effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seitzinger, S.P.; Styles, R.V.; Kroeze, C.

2000-01-01

Context Abstract: Atmospheric concentrations of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, are increasing due to human activities. Our analysis suggests that a third of global anthropogenic N2O emission is from aquatic sources (rivers, estuaries, continental shelves) and the terrestrial sources comprise the

NOx, N2O and SO2 emissions from pressurized fluidized bed combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korpela, T.; Lu Yong

1995-01-01

This project continues the analysis of available data from the experimental work at the Otaniemi PFBC test rig, including LIEKKI project 4-1a and 4- 4 during the past years. The study concentrates on the effects of the operating parameters on gas emissions, such as NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 , under pressurized conditions. The aim of the study is to prepare the database from the available data and make empirical correlations for estimating nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide emissions from PFBC as a function of significant operating parameters and fuel properties. The major aspect in this work is that the correlations, in general, are also available for existing data in the literature. These correlations may facilitate preliminary FBC design by estimating NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 emissions based on the fuel selected and the operating conditions employed. In addition, the fuel properties selected in the correlations on the basis of statistical inference may lend insight into the mechanisms of the formation and destruction of NO x , N 2 O and SO 2 Therefore, the results are expected to be valuable for energy producers, FBC boiler manufacturers. (author)

N2O, NO, N2 and CO2 emissions from tropical savanna and grassland of northern Australia: an incubation experiment with intact soil cores

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, C.; Reiser, K.; Dannenmann, M.; Hutley, L. B.; Jacobeit, J.; Butterbach-Bahl, K.

2014-11-01

Strong seasonal variability of hygric and thermal soil conditions are a defining environmental feature in northern Australia. However, how such changes affect the soil-atmosphere exchange of nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO) and dinitrogen (N2) is still not well explored. By incubating intact soil cores from four sites (three savanna, one pasture) under controlled soil temperatures (ST) and soil moisture (SM) we investigated the release of the trace gas fluxes of N2O, NO and carbon dioxide (CO2). Furthermore, the release of N2 due to denitrification was measured using the helium gas flow soil core technique. Under dry pre-incubation conditions NO and N2O emissions were very low (soil uptake was observed. Substantial NO (max: 306.5 μg N m-2 h-1) and relatively small N2O pulse emissions (max: 5.8 ± 5.0 μg N m-2 h-1) were recorded following soil wetting, but these pulses were short lived, lasting only up to 3 days. The total atmospheric loss of nitrogen was generally dominated by N2 emissions (82.4-99.3% of total N lost), although NO emissions contributed almost 43.2% to the total atmospheric nitrogen loss at 50% SM and 30 °C ST incubation settings (the contribution of N2 at these soil conditions was only 53.2%). N2O emissions were systematically higher for 3 of 12 sample locations, which indicates substantial spatial variability at site level, but on average soils acted as weak N2O sources or even sinks. By using a conservative upscale approach we estimate total annual emissions from savanna soils to average 0.12 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (N2O), 0.68 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (NO) and 6.65 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (N2). The analysis of long-term SM and ST records makes it clear that extreme soil saturation that can lead to high N2O and N2 emissions only occurs a few days per year and thus has little impact on the annual total. The potential contribution of nitrogen released due to pulse events compared to the total annual emissions was found to be of importance for NO emissions

N{sub 2}O Emission from energy crop fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joergensen, B.J. [The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural Univ., Dept. of Agricultural Sciences, Section of Soil, Water and Plant Nutrition (Denmark); Nyholm Joergensen, R. [Research Centre Foulum, The Danish Inst. of Plant and Soil Science, Dept. of Soil Science (Denmark)

1996-03-01

The interest in N{sub 2}O emissions from soils with energy crops is a results of its properties as a greenhouse gas, since the global warming potential of N{sub 2}O per unit mass is about 320 times greater than CO{sub 2}. The contribution of N{sub 2}O from the soil to the atmosphere may increase due to agricultural management. Consequently, large N{sub 2}O emissions can lower the reduction of the greenhouse effect achieved by the substitution of fossil fuels by energy crops. For this reason it is crucial to find the crops for combustion with the lowest potential for emission of N{sub 2}O from the soil per produced energy unit. The aims of this study were to assess the annual N{sub 2}O flux from a Miscanthus 'Giganteus' (M. 'Giganteus') and winter rye (Secale cereale) field, and to investigate the factors affecting the N{sub 2}O emission. To obtain these aims a method was developed for measurements in tall crops. The thesis contains a literature review on the N{sub 2}O emission from the soils, a section with development of the technique for N{sub 2}O flux measurements, and an experimental section. Finally, the thesis contains a section where the results are discussed in relation to the use of energy crops. In all the filed studies, the N{sub 2}O emission was measured by using a new developed closed-chamber technique. The main advantages of the chamber method were the ability to contain growing plants up to a height of 3 m, and the relatively large area (2X2m) covered by each other. Soils with annual and perennial crops can be expected to emit less then 3 kg N{sub 2}O ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}. This amount corresponds to 960 kg CO{sub 2} ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} compared to a total CO{sub 2} reduction of 10 to 19 tons CO{sub 2} ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} using the energy crops as substitution for fossil fuels. An efficient way to reduce the N{sub 2}O emission is to exclude use of fertiliser but this also reduces the dry matter yield and consequently also the

N{sub 2}O Emission from energy crop fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joergensen, B.J. [The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural Univ., Dept. of Agricultural Sciences, Section of Soil, Water and Plant Nutrition (Denmark); Nyholm Joergensen, R. [Research Centre Foulum, The Danish Inst. of Plant and Soil Science, Dept. of Soil Science (Denmark)

1996-03-01

The interest in N{sub 2}O emissions from soils with energy crops is a results of its properties as a greenhouse gas, since the global warming potential of N{sub 2}O per unit mass is about 320 times greater than CO{sub 2}. The contribution of N{sub 2}O from the soil to the atmosphere may increase due to agricultural management. Consequently, large N{sub 2}O emissions can lower the reduction of the greenhouse effect achieved by the substitution of fossil fuels by energy crops. For this reason it is crucial to find the crops for combustion with the lowest potential for emission of N{sub 2}O from the soil per produced energy unit. The aims of this study were to assess the annual N{sub 2}O flux from a Miscanthus `Giganteus` (M. `Giganteus`) and winter rye (Secale cereale) field, and to investigate the factors affecting the N{sub 2}O emission. To obtain these aims a method was developed for measurements in tall crops. The thesis contains a literature review on the N{sub 2}O emission from the soils, a section with development of the technique for N{sub 2}O flux measurements, and an experimental section. Finally, the thesis contains a section where the results are discussed in relation to the use of energy crops. In all the filed studies, the N{sub 2}O emission was measured by using a new developed closed-chamber technique. The main advantages of the chamber method were the ability to contain growing plants up to a height of 3 m, and the relatively large area (2X2m) covered by each other. Soils with annual and perennial crops can be expected to emit less then 3 kg N{sub 2}O ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}. This amount corresponds to 960 kg CO{sub 2} ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} compared to a total CO{sub 2} reduction of 10 to 19 tons CO{sub 2} ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} using the energy crops as substituion for fossil fuels. An efficient way to reduce the N{sub 2}O emission is to exclude use of fertiliser but this also reduces the dry matter yield and consequently also the CO{sub 2} reduction

N2O, NO, N2 and CO2 emissions from tropical savanna and grassland of northern Australia: an incubation experiment with intact soil cores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Werner

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Strong seasonal variability of hygric and thermal soil conditions are a defining environmental feature in northern Australia. However, how such changes affect the soil–atmosphere exchange of nitrous oxide (N2O, nitric oxide (NO and dinitrogen (N2 is still not well explored. By incubating intact soil cores from four sites (three savanna, one pasture under controlled soil temperatures (ST and soil moisture (SM we investigated the release of the trace gas fluxes of N2O, NO and carbon dioxide (CO2. Furthermore, the release of N2 due to denitrification was measured using the helium gas flow soil core technique. Under dry pre-incubation conditions NO and N2O emissions were very low (−2 h−1; 2O-N m−2 h−1 or in the case of N2O, even a net soil uptake was observed. Substantial NO (max: 306.5 μg N m−2 h−1 and relatively small N2O pulse emissions (max: 5.8 ± 5.0 μg N m−2 h−1 were recorded following soil wetting, but these pulses were short lived, lasting only up to 3 days. The total atmospheric loss of nitrogen was generally dominated by N2 emissions (82.4–99.3% of total N lost, although NO emissions contributed almost 43.2% to the total atmospheric nitrogen loss at 50% SM and 30 °C ST incubation settings (the contribution of N2 at these soil conditions was only 53.2%. N2O emissions were systematically higher for 3 of 12 sample locations, which indicates substantial spatial variability at site level, but on average soils acted as weak N2O sources or even sinks. By using a conservative upscale approach we estimate total annual emissions from savanna soils to average 0.12 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (N2O, 0.68 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (NO and 6.65 kg N ha−1 yr−1 (N2. The analysis of long-term SM and ST records makes it clear that extreme soil saturation that can lead to high N2O and N2 emissions only occurs a few days per year and thus has little impact on the annual total. The potential contribution of nitrogen released due to pulse events

Spatial variability of nitrous oxide and methane emissions from an MBT landfill in operation: Strong N{sub 2}O hotspots at the working face

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harborth, Peter, E-mail: p.harborth@tu-bs.de [Department of Waste and Resource Management, Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany); Fuß, Roland [Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Braunschweig (Germany); Münnich, Kai [Department of Waste and Resource Management, Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany); Flessa, Heinz [Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Braunschweig (Germany); Fricke, Klaus [Department of Waste and Resource Management, Leichtweiß-Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany)

2013-10-15

Highlights: ► First measurements of N{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} emissions from an MBT landfill. ► High N{sub 2}O emissions from recently deposited material. ► N{sub 2}O emissions associated with aeration and the occurrence of nitrite and nitrate. ► Strong negative correlation between CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O production activity. - Abstract: Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is an effective technique, which removes organic carbon from municipal solid waste (MSW) prior to deposition. Thereby, methane (CH{sub 4}) production in the landfill is strongly mitigated. However, direct measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from full-scale MBT landfills have not been conducted so far. Thus, CH{sub 4} and nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) emissions from a German MBT landfill in operation as well as their concentrations in the landfill gas (LFG) were measured. High N{sub 2}O emissions of 20–200 g CO{sub 2} eq. m{sup −2} h{sup −1} magnitude (up to 428 mg N m{sup −2} h{sup −1}) were observed within 20 m of the working face. CH{sub 4} emissions were highest at the landfill zone located at a distance of 30–40 m from the working face, where they reached about 10 g CO{sub 2} eq. m{sup −2} h{sup −1}. The MBT material in this area has been deposited several weeks earlier. Maximum LFG concentration for N{sub 2}O was 24.000 ppmv in material below the emission hotspot. At a depth of 50 cm from the landfill surface a strong negative correlation between N{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} concentrations was observed. From this and from the distribution pattern of extractable ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate it has been concluded that strong N{sub 2}O production is associated with nitrification activity and the occurrence of nitrite and nitrate, which is initiated by oxygen input during waste deposition. Therefore, CH{sub 4} mitigation measures, which often employ aeration, could result in a net increase of GHG emissions due to increased N{sub 2}O emissions, especially at MBT landfills.

Effect of plastic mulching and nitrapyrin on N2O concentration and emissions in China under climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, C.; Zhu, C.

2017-12-01

Fertilized agricultural soils are the main source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O). In this study, both soil N2O concentration in the profile and N2O emission were measured to quantify the effect of plastic mulching and nitrapyrin on N2O dynamic in an oasis cotton field. During the observation period, both N2O concentration and N2O emissions rapidly increased following fertigation, and soil temperature, moisture and mineral N content were the main factors influencing N2O. Temporal variation in N2O emission coincided with changes in N2O content in all soil layers, indicating that the accumulation of N2O likely drives the release of N2O into the atmosphere. The crop yields, N2O content (the sum of aqueous and gaseous phases) in the soil and N2O emissions increased linearly as the application of N fertilizer increased from 80 to 400 kg N ha-1. Plastic mulching increased the crop yields by 16-21%, increased the N2O contents by 88-99%, and reduced the cumulative N2O emissions by 19-28%, indicating that the application of plastic film reduced N2O emission probably through restricted the N2O diffusion process, and limited the N2O production through enhanced the N uptake of cotton. The addition of nitrapyrin to the N fertilizer significantly reduced the levels of N2O without influencing crop yield, with N2O content in the soil profile and cumulative N2O emissions decreasing by 25-32% and 23-42%, respectively. Overall, our result suggested the combined use of plastic film and nitrapyrin could be an efficient practice to reduce N2O emission in the oasis cotton field. Keywords: N2O emissions; plastic film mulching; nitrapyrin; climate change

N2O emission under fluidized bed combustion condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, B.X.; Yao, Q.; Mi, T.; Liu, D.C.; Feng, B.; Winter, Franz

2003-01-01

In this paper, many rules about N 2 O and NO x emission under fluidized bed combustion conditions were found by experiments. The research results indicate that CaO, CaSO 4 , Fe 2 O 3 and char have important influence on decomposition of N 2 O; co-combustion of coal and biomass are effective measures to low N 2 O and NO x emission

Phosphorus addition mitigates N2O and CH4 emissions in N-saturated subtropical forest, SW China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Yu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Chronically elevated nitrogen (N deposition has led to severe nutrient imbalance in forest soils. Particularly in tropical and subtropical forest ecosystems, increasing N loading has aggravated phosphorus (P limitation of biomass production, and has resulted in elevated emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O and reduced uptake of methane (CH4, both of which are important greenhouse gases. Yet, the interactions of N and P and their effects on greenhouse gas emissions remain elusive. Here, we report N2O and CH4 emissions together with soil N and P data for a period of 18 months following a single P addition (79 kg P ha−1, as NaH2PO4 powder to an N-saturated, Masson pine-dominated forest soil at TieShanPing (TSP, Chongqing, south-western (SW China. We observed a significant decline in both nitrate (NO3− concentrations in soil water (5 and 20 cm depths and in soil N2O emissions, following P application. We hypothesise that enhanced N uptake by plants in response to P addition, resulted in less available NO3− for denitrification. By contrast to most other forest ecosystems, TSP is a net source of CH4. P addition significantly decreased CH4 emissions and turned the soil from a net source into a net sink. Based on our observation and previous studies in South America and China, we believe that P addition relieves N inhibition of CH4 oxidation. Within the 1.5 years after P addition, no significant increase of forest growth was observed and P stimulation of forest N uptake by understorey vegetation remains to be confirmed. Our study indicates that P fertilisation of N-saturated, subtropical forest soils may mitigate N2O and CH4 emissions, in addition to alleviating nutrient imbalances and reducing losses of N through NO3− leaching.

Comprehensive effects of a sedge plant on CH4 and N2O emissions in an estuarine marsh

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yangjie; Wang, Dongqi; Chen, Zhenlou; Hu, Hong

2018-05-01

Although there have been numerous studies focusing on plants' roles in methane (CH4) emissions, the influencing mechanism of wetland plants on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions has rarely been studied. Here, we test whether wetland plants also play an important role in N2O emissions. Gas fluxes were determined using the in situ static flux chamber technique. We also carried out pore-water extractions, sedge removal experiments and tests of N2O transportation. The brackish marsh acted as a net source of both CH4 and N2O. However, sedge plants played the opposite role in CH4 and N2O emissions. The removal of the sedges led to reduced CH4 emissions and increased accumulation of CH4 inside the sediment. Apart from being a conduit for CH4 transport, the sedges made a greater contribution to CH4 oxidation than CH4 production. The sedges exerted inhibitory effects on the release of N2O. The N2O was barely detectable inside the sediment in both vegetated and vegetation-removed plots. The denitrification measurements and nitrogen addition (the addition rates were equal to 0.028, 0.056 and 0.112 g m-2) experiments suggest that denitrification associated with N2O production occurred mainly in the surface sediment layer. The vascular sedge could transport atmospheric N2O downward into the rhizosphere. The rhizospheric sediment, together with the vascular sedge, became an effective sink of atmospheric N2O.

Nitrogen loss from high N-input vegetable fields - a) direct N2O emissions b) Spatiotemporal variability of N species (N2O, NH4+, NO3-) in soils

Science.gov (United States)

Pfab, H.; Ruser, R.; Palmer, I.; Fiedler, S.

2009-04-01

Nitrous oxide is a climate relevant trace gas. It contributes 7.9 % to the total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission and it is also involved in stratospheric ozone depletion. Approximately 85 % of the anthropogenic N2O emissions result from agricultural activities, more than 50 % are produced during microbial N-turnover processes in soils. Especially soils with high N-input (N-fertilizer and high amount of N in plant residues) like vegetable cropped soils are assumed to cause high N2O losses. The aims of the study presented were (i) to quantify the N2O loss from a vegetable field (lettuce-cauliflower crop rotation), (ii) to calculate an emission factor for the study site in Southwest Germany and to compare this factor with the default value provided by the IPCC (2006) and (iii) to test the emission reduction potential (Ammonium Sulfate Nitrate fertilizer, ASN either by reduced N-fertilization) in comparison with common N doses used for good agricultural practice or by the use of a nitrification inhibitor (DMPP), a banded N-application (lettuce) or a depot fertilization measure (pseudo-CULTAN in order to suppress nitrification). N2O fluxes determined with the closed chamber method were highly variable in time with strongly increased flux rates after N-fertilization in combination with rainfall or irrigation measures and after the incorporation of cauliflower crop residues. Using the mean soil nitrate contents of the top soil of our investigated treatments (0-25 cm depth), we could explain approximately 60 % of the variability of the cumulative N2O losses during the vegetation period of lettuce and cauliflower. The cumulative N2O emissions ranged between 0,99 kg N2O-N ha-1 from the unfertilized control plots (vegetation period) and 6,81 kg N2O-N ha-1 from the plots with the highest N-dose. Based on the guidelines of the IPCC (2006), we calculated an emission factor around 0,9 % for the cropping season. This value is in good agreement with the default value of the

NO{sub x}, N{sub 2}O and SO{sub 2} emissions from pressurized fluidized bed combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korpela, T.; Lu, Y. [Helsinki Univ. of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland). Lab. of Economic Energy and Power Plant Engineering

1996-12-01

This project continues the analysis of available data from the experimental work at the Otaniemi PFBC test rig using various solid fuels. The study concentrates on the emission and control of NO{sub x} N{sub 2}O, and SO{sub 2} under pressurized conditions. The aim of the study is to prepare the database from the available data and make empirical correlations for estimating nitrogen oxide emissions and sulfur capture from PFBC as a function of significant operating parameters and fuel properties. As the first generation of an empirical model, multiple linear regression was developed for predicting NO{sub x}, N{sub 2}O and SO{sub 2} emissions from PFBC. These correlations may facilitate preliminary FBC design by estimating NO{sub x}, N{sub 2}O and SO{sub 2} emissions. On the basis of statistical inference, the operating conditions employed and the fuel properties selected in the correlations may lend insight into the mechanisms of the formation and destruction of NO{sub x}, N{sub 2}O and SO{sub 2}. (author)

The estimation of N2O emissions from municipal solid waste incineration facilities: The Korea case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sangwon; Choi, Jun-Ho; Park, Jinwon

2011-01-01

The greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated in municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration are carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O). In South Korea case, the total of GHGs from the waste incineration facilities has been increasing at an annual rate 10%. In these view, waste incineration facilities should consider to reduce GHG emissions. This study is designed to estimate the N 2 O emission factors from MSW incineration plants, and calculate the N 2 O emissions based on these factors. The three MSW incinerators examined in this study were either stoker or both stoker and rotary kiln facilities. The N 2 O concentrations from the MSW incinerators were measured using gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) equipment. The average of the N 2 O emission factors for the M01 plant, M02 plant, and M03 plant are 71, 75, and 153 g-N 2 O/ton-waste, respectively. These results showed a significant difference from the default values of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), while approaching those values derived in Japan and Germany. Furthermore, comparing the results of this study to the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) (2007) data on waste incineration, N 2 O emissions from MSW incineration comprised 19% of the total N 2 O emissions.

The estimation of N2O emissions from municipal solid waste incineration facilities: The Korea case.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sangwon; Choi, Jun-Ho; Park, Jinwon

2011-08-01

The greenhouse gases (GHGs) generated in municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration are carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O). In South Korea case, the total of GHGs from the waste incineration facilities has been increasing at an annual rate 10%. In these view, waste incineration facilities should consider to reduce GHG emissions. This study is designed to estimate the N(2)O emission factors from MSW incineration plants, and calculate the N(2)O emissions based on these factors. The three MSW incinerators examined in this study were either stoker or both stoker and rotary kiln facilities. The N(2)O concentrations from the MSW incinerators were measured using gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD) equipment. The average of the N(2)O emission factors for the M01 plant, M02 plant, and M03 plant are 71, 75, and 153g-N(2)O/ton-waste, respectively. These results showed a significant difference from the default values of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), while approaching those values derived in Japan and Germany. Furthermore, comparing the results of this study to the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) (2007) data on waste incineration, N(2)O emissions from MSW incineration comprised 19% of the total N(2)O emissions. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial variability of nitrous oxide and methane emissions from an MBT landfill in operation: strong N2O hotspots at the working face.

Science.gov (United States)

Harborth, Peter; Fuss, Roland; Münnich, Kai; Flessa, Heinz; Fricke, Klaus

2013-10-01

Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is an effective technique, which removes organic carbon from municipal solid waste (MSW) prior to deposition. Thereby, methane (CH4) production in the landfill is strongly mitigated. However, direct measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from full-scale MBT landfills have not been conducted so far. Thus, CH4 and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from a German MBT landfill in operation as well as their concentrations in the landfill gas (LFG) were measured. High N2O emissions of 20-200gCO2eq.m(-2)h(-1) magnitude (up to 428mgNm(-2)h(-1)) were observed within 20m of the working face. CH4 emissions were highest at the landfill zone located at a distance of 30-40m from the working face, where they reached about 10gCO2eq.m(-2)h(-1). The MBT material in this area has been deposited several weeks earlier. Maximum LFG concentration for N2O was 24.000ppmv in material below the emission hotspot. At a depth of 50cm from the landfill surface a strong negative correlation between N2O and CH4 concentrations was observed. From this and from the distribution pattern of extractable ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate it has been concluded that strong N2O production is associated with nitrification activity and the occurrence of nitrite and nitrate, which is initiated by oxygen input during waste deposition. Therefore, CH4 mitigation measures, which often employ aeration, could result in a net increase of GHG emissions due to increased N2O emissions, especially at MBT landfills. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitigation potential of soil carbon management overestimated by neglecting N2O emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Lugato, Emanuele; Leip, Adrian; Jones, Arwyn

2018-03-01

International initiatives such as the `4 per 1000' are promoting enhanced carbon (C) sequestration in agricultural soils as a way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions1. However, changes in soil organic C turnover feed back into the nitrogen (N) cycle2, meaning that variation in soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions may offset or enhance C sequestration actions3. Here we use a biogeochemistry model on approximately 8,000 soil sampling locations in the European Union4 to quantify the net CO2 equivalent (CO2e) fluxes associated with representative C-mitigating agricultural practices. Practices based on integrated crop residue retention and lower soil disturbance are found to not increase N2O emissions as long as C accumulation continues (until around 2040), thereafter leading to a moderate C sequestration offset mostly below 47% by 2100. The introduction of N-fixing cover crops allowed higher C accumulation over the initial 20 years, but this gain was progressively offset by higher N2O emissions over time. By 2060, around half of the sites became a net source of greenhouse gases. We conclude that significant CO2 mitigation can be achieved in the initial 20-30 years of any C management scheme, but after that N inputs should be controlled through appropriate management.

Diet effects on urine composition of cattle and N2O emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dijkstra, J; Oenema, O; van Groenigen, J W; Spek, J W; van Vuuren, A M; Bannink, A

2013-06-01

Ruminant production contributes to emissions of nitrogen (N) to the environment, principally ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and di-nitrogen (N2) to air, nitrate (NO3 -) to groundwater and particulate N to surface waters. Variation in dietary N intake will particularly affect excretion of urinary N, which is much more vulnerable to losses than is faecal N. Our objective is to review dietary effects on the level and form of N excreted in cattle urine, as well as its consequences for emissions of N2O. The quantity of N excreted in urine varies widely. Urinary N excretion, in particular that of urea N, is decreased upon reduction of dietary N intake or an increase in the supply of energy to the rumen microorganisms and to the host animal itself. Most of the N in urine (from 50% to well over 90%) is present in the form of urea. Other nitrogenous components include purine derivatives (PD), hippuric acid, creatine and creatinine. Excretion of PD is related to rumen microbial protein synthesis, and that of hippuric acid to dietary concentration of degradable phenolic acids. The N concentration of cattle urine ranges from 3 to 20 g/l. High-dietary mineral levels increase urine volume and lead to reduced urinary N concentration as well as reduced urea concentration in plasma and milk. In lactating dairy cattle, variation in urine volume affects the relationship between milk urea and urinary N excretion, which hampers the use of milk urea as an accurate indicator of urinary N excretion. Following its deposition in pastures or in animal houses, ubiquitous microorganisms in soil and waters transform urinary N components into ammonium (NH4 +), and thereafter into NO3 - and ultimately in N2 accompanied with the release of N2O. Urinary hippuric acid, creatine and creatinine decompose more slowly than urea. Hippuric acid may act as a natural inhibitor of N2O emissions, but inhibition conditions have not been defined properly yet. Environmental and soil conditions at the site of

Can conservation tillage reduce N2O emissions on cropland transitioning to organic vegetable production?

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Guihua; Kolb, Lauren; Cavigelli, Michel A; Weil, Ray R; Hooks, Cerruti R R

2018-03-15

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is an important greenhouse gas and a catalyst of stratospheric ozone decay. Agricultural soils are the source of 75% of anthropogenic N 2 O emissions globally. Recently, significant attention has been directed at examining effects of conservation tillage on carbon sequestration in agricultural systems. However, limited knowledge is available regarding how these practices impact N 2 O emissions, especially for organic vegetable production systems. In this context, a three-year study was conducted in a well-drained sandy loam field transitioning to organic vegetable production in the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain of USA to investigate impacts of conservation tillage [strip till (ST) and no-till (NT)] and conventional tillage (CT) [with black plastic mulch (CT-BP) and bare-ground (CT-BG)] on N 2 O emissions. Each year, a winter cover crop mixture (forage radish: Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, crimson clover: Trifolium incarnatum L., and rye: Secale cereale L.) was grown and flail-mowed in the spring. Nearly 80% of annual N 2 O-nitrogen (N) emissions occurred during the vegetable growing season for all treatments. Annual N 2 O-N emissions were greater in CT-BP than in ST and NT, and greater in CT-BG than in NT, but not different between CT-BG and CT-BP, ST and NT, or CT-BG and ST. Conventional tillage promoted N mineralization and plastic mulch increased soil temperature, which contributed to greater N 2 O-N fluxes. Though water filled porosity in NT was higher and correlated well with N 2 O-N fluxes, annual N 2 O-N emissions were lowest in NT suggesting a lack of substrates for nitrification and denitrification processes. Crop yield was lowest in NT in Year 1 and CT-BP in Year 3 but yield-scaled N 2 O-N emissions were consistently greatest in CT-BP and lowest in NT each year. Our results suggest that for coarse-textured soils in the coastal plain with winter cover crops, conservation tillage practices may reduce N 2 O emissions in organic

Effects of carbon sources and COD/N ratio on N2O emissions in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Wanlin; Huang, Lei; Xiao, Guangquan; Chen, Yucheng

2017-12-01

A set of constructed wetlands under two different carbon sources, namely, glucose (CW) and sodium acetate (YW), was established at a laboratory scale with influent COD/N ratios of 20:1, 10:1, 7:1, 4:1, and 0 to analyze the influence of carbon supply on nitrous oxide emissions. Results showed that the glucose systems generated higher N 2 O emissions than those of the sodium acetate systems. The higher amount of N 2 O-releasing fluxes in the CWs than in the YWs was consistent with the higher NO 2 - -N accumulation in the former than in the latter. Moreover, electron competition was tighter in the CWs and contributed to the incomplete denitrification with poor N 2 O production performance. Illumina MiSeq sequencing demonstrated that some denitrifying bacteria, such as Denitratisoma, Bacillus, and Zoogloea, were higher in the YWs than in the CWs. This result indicated that the carbon source is important in controlling N 2 O emissions in microbial communities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Aircraft Observations of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in the San Joaquin Valley of California

Science.gov (United States)

Muto, S.; Herrera, S.; Pusede, S.

2017-12-01

Agriculture is the largest source of anthropogenic nitrous oxide (N2O) in the U.S. While it is generally known which processes produce N2O, there is considerable uncertainty in controls over N2O emissions. Factors that determine N2O fluxes, such as soil properties and manure management, are highly variable in space and time, and, as a result, it has proven difficult to upscale chamber-derived soil flux measurements to regional spatial scales. Aircraft observations provide a regional picture of the N2O spatial distribution, but, because N2O is very long-lived, it is challenging to attribute measured concentrations of N2O to distinct local sources, especially over areas with complex and integrated land use. This study takes advantage of a novel aircraft N2O dataset collected onboard the low-flying, slow-moving NASA C-23 Sherpa in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California, a region with a variety of N2O sources, including dairies, feedlots, fertilized cropland, and industrial facilities. With these measurements, we link observed N2O enhancements to specific sources at sub-inventory spatial scales. We compare our results with area-weighted emission profiles obtained by integrating detailed emission inventory data, agricultural statistics, and GIS source mapping.

Multivariate regulation of soil CO2 and N2 O pulse emissions from agricultural soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Liyin L; Grantz, David A; Jenerette, G Darrel

2016-03-01

Climate and land-use models project increasing occurrence of high temperature and water deficit in both agricultural production systems and terrestrial ecosystems. Episodic soil wetting and subsequent drying may increase the occurrence and magnitude of pulsed biogeochemical activity, affecting carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and influencing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this study, we provide the first data to explore the responses of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 O) fluxes to (i) temperature, (ii) soil water content as percent water holding capacity (%WHC), (iii) substrate availability throughout, and (iv) multiple soil drying and rewetting (DW) events. Each of these factors and their interactions exerted effects on GHG emissions over a range of four (CO2 ) and six (N2 O) orders of magnitude. Maximal CO2 and N2 O fluxes were observed in environments combining intermediate %WHC, elevated temperature, and sufficient substrate availability. Amendments of C and N and their interactions significantly affected CO2 and N2 O fluxes and altered their temperature sensitivities (Q10 ) over successive DW cycles. C amendments significantly enhanced CO2 flux, reduced N2 O flux, and decreased the Q10 of both. N amendments had no effect on CO2 flux and increased N2 O flux, while significantly depressing the Q10 for CO2 , and having no effect on the Q10 for N2 O. The dynamics across DW cycles could be attributed to changes in soil microbial communities as the different responses to wetting events in specific group of microorganisms, to the altered substrate availabilities, or to both. The complex interactions among parameters influencing trace gas fluxes should be incorporated into next generation earth system models to improve estimation of GHG emissions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Tillage effects on N2O emission from soils under corn and soybeans in eastern Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregorich, E.G.; St-Georges, P.; McKim, U.F.; Chan, C.; Rochette, P.

2008-01-01

New research has suggested that no-till agricultural practices will result in higher levels of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions due to increased levels of denitrification. This study was evaluated and compared N 2 O emissions from tilled and no-till soils. Data used in the study were comprised of more than 1500 flux measurements of N 2 O taken between April and October over a period of 3 years at a site in Ottawa, Ontario. Soybean and corn crop rotations were used. Treatment effects of tillage, crop, and time of season on N 2 O fluxes were assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods. The study evaluated the responses of tillage during periods when soil temperatures were above 0 degrees C. Results of the studies demonstrated that fertilization management practices contributed to the higher N 2 O emissions observed in soils planted with corn when compared with soils planted with soybeans. Biological nitrogen (N) fixation in soybeans did not contribute to annual N 2 O emissions, and the effects of tillage on N 2 O emissions varied from year to year. The tilled soils typically had better aeration, higher temperatures, and lower water content than no-till soils. N 2 O emissions from no-till soils were lower than rates observed in tilled soils in 2 of the 3 years studied. Higher emissions observed in no-till soils were attributed to timing and the method of fertilizer placement. It was concluded that further studies are needed to develop methods of improving N use efficiency within tillage systems. 30 refs., 5 tabs., 2 figs

UV-induced N2O emission from plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruhn, Dan; Albert, Kristian Rost; Mikkelsen, Teis Nørgaard

2014-01-01

investigate for the fi rst time N 2 O emission from terrestrial vegetation in response to natural solar ultra violet radiation. We conducted fi eld site measurements to investigate N 2 O atmosphere exchange from grass vegetation exposed to solar irradiance with and without UV-screening. Further laboratory...... magnitude as that to UV-B. Therefore, UV-A is more important than UV-B given the natural UV-spectrum at Earth's surface. Plants also emitted N 2 O in darkness, although at reduced rates. The emission rate is temperature dependent with a rather high activation energy indicative for an abiotic process...

Solar UV irradiation-induced production of N2O from plant surfaces - low emissions rates but all over the world.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikkelsen, T. N.; Bruhn, D.; Ambus, P.

2016-12-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important long-lived greenhouse gas and precursor of stratospheric ozone depleting mono-nitrogen oxides. The atmospheric concentration of N2O is persistently increasing; however, large uncertainties are associated with the distinct source strengths. Here we investigate for the first time N2O emission from terrestrial vegetation in response to natural solar ultra violet radiation. We conducted field site measurements to investigate N2O atmosphere exchange from grass vegetation exposed to solar irradiance with and without UV-screening. Further laboratory tests were conducted with a range of species to study the controls and possible loci of UV-induced N2O emission from plants. Plants released N2O in response to natural sunlight at rates of c. 20-50 nmol m-2 h-1, mostly due to the UV component. The emission rate is temperature dependent with a rather high activation energy indicative for an abiotic process. The prevailing zone for the N2O formation appears to be at the very surface of leaves. However, only c. 26% of the UV-induced N2O appears to originate from plant-N. Further, the process is dependent on atmospheric oxygen concentration. Our work demonstrates that ecosystem emission of the important greenhouse gas, N2O, may be up to c. 30% higher than hitherto assumed.

Influence of fertilizer nitrogen source and management practice of N2O emissions from two black chernozemic soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, D.L.

2008-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a major anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted by Canadian agricultural systems. Emissions of N 2 O are sporadic, which complicates their accurate quantification as well as the development of adequate management practices. This study was conducted to determine the relative N 2 O production potentials of various nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources and application methods used in cereal production practices in Manitoba. Wheat crops were used to examine variations in N 2 O emissions associated with N formulations applied at the same rate. Treatments included urea surface broadcast in the spring; urea subsurface bands in spring; urea subsurface bands in the fall; anhydrous ammonia subsurface bands in spring and fall; and a control plot where no N was applied. Treatments of polymer-coated urea were also applied. The treatments were established in the fall of 1999. N 2 O fluxes were measured using vented static chambers. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed in order to obtain cumulative annual N 2 O emissions. Results of the study showed that N 2 O emissions associated with the use of anhydrous ammonia were no greater than emissions associated with urea. Higher N 2 O emissions were observed in fall applications of N fertilizer. The dominant factors controlling differences in N 2 O emissions between sites and years included precipitation, soil water content, and soil texture. 26 refs., 6 tabs

Studies on nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x} and N{sub 2}O) in pressurized fluidized bed combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu Yong

1998-09-01

This thesis describes the experimental studies of nitrogen oxide (NO, NO{sub 2}, N{sub 2}O) emissions in pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC). In the first part of the thesis the background and the objectives of this study are introduced. The second part summarizes the fundamental knowledge about the formation and destruction of nitrogen oxides in coal combustion, particularly in the conditions of PFBC. The instrumentation of test facilities, measurement and data analysis is described in the third part. Then the most important experimental results follow in the next parts. The forth part describes the results from a PFBC test rig and an empirical modelling for predicting the emissions of NO{sub x} and N{sub 2}O. Finally, the fundamental work on coal combustion and fuel nitrogen conversion in a PFBC batch reactor is presented. These studies clearly confirm the potential of PFBC technology in the control nitrogen of oxide emissions. The research in the test rig was concentrated on determining the effects of process parameters on the emissions of nitrogen oxides with different fuels. Another objective was to examine the reduction of nitrogen oxides with the control methods in PFBC conditions, including ammonia injection and air staging combustion for reducing NO, and high temperature operations for reducing N{sub 2}0. The results indicate that pressurized operation suppresses the conversion of fuel-N to nitrogen oxides and favors with employing the reduction methods for further nitrogen oxide reduction, for instance the temperature window of NO reduction with ammonia injection has been found to be widened to even lower temperature range. Maximum reductions of 80-85 % with ammonia injection and 75-80 % with air staging combustion were achieved in the conditions examined. Considerably low emissions of N{sub 2}O (<7 ppm) were obtained in the tests of N{sub 2}O control, and thermal decomposition proved to be the laming pathway of N{sub 2}O destruction in PFBC. In

Mitigation of soil N2O emission by inoculation with a mixed culture of indigenous Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens

Science.gov (United States)

Akiyama, Hiroko; Hoshino, Yuko Takada; Itakura, Manabu; Shimomura, Yumi; Wang, Yong; Yamamoto, Akinori; Tago, Kanako; Nakajima, Yasuhiro; Minamisawa, Kiwamu; Hayatsu, Masahito

2016-09-01

Agricultural soil is the largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas. Soybean is an important leguminous crop worldwide. Soybean hosts symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria (rhizobia) in root nodules. In soybean ecosystems, N2O emissions often increase during decomposition of the root nodules. Our previous study showed that N2O reductase can be used to mitigate N2O emission from soybean fields during nodule decomposition by inoculation with nosZ++ strains [mutants with increased N2O reductase (N2OR) activity] of Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens. Here, we show that N2O emission can be reduced at the field scale by inoculation with a mixed culture of indigenous nosZ+ strains of B. diazoefficiens USDA110 group isolated from Japanese agricultural fields. Our results also suggested that nodule nitrogen is the main source of N2O production during nodule decomposition. Isolating nosZ+ strains from local soybean fields would be more applicable and feasible for many soybean-producing countries than generating mutants.

The use of CeO2-Co3O4 oxides as a catalyst for the reduction of N2O emission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajska Maria

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The morphological characterization of a series of cobalt-cerium oxide composites prepared by the deposition of CeO2 onto Co3O4 powder with a molar ratio of cerium oxide to Co3O4 in the range of 0 to 1 was performed. The powders were also impregnated with a solution of K2CO3 to obtain the theoretical content of potassium atoms 2at·nm−2. To investigate the effect of adding specific amount of CeO2 on the catalytic activity, the X-ray diffraction, SEM-EDX, laser particle size distribution and BET surface area measurements were used. The catalysts were tested through the low-temperature decomposition of nitrous oxide in the temperature range of 50°C to 700°C. The addition of CeO2 and K always moved the temperature of a complete N2O conversion towards lower temperatures (480°C-540°C to 340°C-420°C. The best catalytic properties were shown by the samples in which the ratio of cerium oxide to cobalt oxide ranged from 0.4 to 0.7.

Spatial and temporal variability of N2O emissions in a subtropical forest catchment in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Zhu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Subtropical forests in southern China have received chronically large amounts of atmogenic nitrogen (N, causing N saturation. Recent studies suggest that a significant proportion of the N input is returned to the atmosphere, in part as nitrous oxide (N2O. We measured N2O emission fluxes by closed chamber technique throughout two years in a Masson pine-dominated headwater catchment with acrisols (pH ~ 4 at Tieshanping (Chongqing, SW China and assessed the spatial and temporal variability in two landscape elements typical for this region: a mesic forested hillslope (HS and a hydrologically connected, terraced groundwater discharge zone (GDZ in the valley bottom. High emission rates of up to 1800 μg N2O-N m−2 h−1 were recorded on the HS shortly after rain storms during monsoonal summer, whereas emission fluxes during the dry winter season were generally low. Overall, N2O emission was lower in GDZ than on HS, rendering the mesic HS the dominant source of N2O in this landscape. Temporal variability of N2O emissions on HS was largely explained by soil temperature (ST and moisture, pointing at denitrification as a major process for N removal and N2O production. The concentration of nitrate (NO3− in pore water on HS was high even in the rainy season, apparently never limiting denitrification and N2O production. The concentration of NO3− decreased along the terraced GDZ, indicating efficient N removal, but with moderate N2O-N loss. The extrapolated annual N2O fluxes from soils on HS (0.54 and 0.43 g N2O-N m−2 yr−1 for a year with a wet and a dry summer, respectively are among the highest N2O fluxes reported from subtropical forests so far. Annual N2O-N emissions amounted to 8–10% of the annual atmogenic N deposition, suggesting that forests on acid soils in southern China are an important, hitherto overlooked component of the anthropogenic N2O budget.

Evaluation of the Agronomic Impacts on Yield-Scaled N2O Emission from Wheat and Maize Fields in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenling Gao

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Contemporary crop production faces dual challenges of increasing crop yield while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emission. An integrated evaluation of the mitigation potential of yield-scaled nitrous oxide (N2O emission by adjusting cropping practices can benefit the innovation of climate smart cropping. This study conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of cropping systems and soil management practices on area- and yield-scaled N2O emissions during wheat and maize growing seasons in China. Results showed that the yield-scaled N2O emissions of winter wheat-upland crops rotation and single spring maize systems were respectively 64.6% and 40.2% lower than that of winter wheat-rice and summer maize-upland crops rotation systems. Compared to conventional N fertilizer, application of nitrification inhibitors and controlled-release fertilizers significantly decreased yield-scaled N2O emission by 41.7% and 22.0%, respectively. Crop straw returning showed no significant impacts on area- and yield-scaled N2O emissions. The effect of manure on yield-scaled N2O emission highly depended on its application mode. No tillage significantly increased the yield-scaled N2O emission as compared to conventional tillage. The above findings demonstrate that there is great potential to increase wheat and maize yields with lower N2O emissions through innovative cropping technique in China.

Nitrous oxide emission related to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and mitigation options from N fertilization in a tropical soil

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soares, Johnny R.; Cassman, N.; Kielak, A.M.; Pijl, A.S.; do Carmo, J.B.; Lourenço, Késia S.; Laanbroek, H.J.; Cantarella, H.; Kuramae, E.E.

2016-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) from nitrogen fertilizers applied to sugarcane has high environmental impact on ethanol production. This study aimed to determine the main microbial processes responsible for the N2O emissions from soil fertilized with different N sources, to identify options to mitigate N2O

Continuous Eddy Covariance Measurements of N2O Emissions and Controls from an Intensively Grazed Dairy Farm

Science.gov (United States)

Schipper, L. A.; Liang, L. L.; Wall, A.; Campbell, D.

2017-12-01

New Zealand's greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory is disproportionally dominated by methane and nitrous oxide which account for 54% of emissions. These GHGs are derived from pastoral agriculture that supports dairying and meat production. To date, most studies on quantifying or mitigating agricultural N2O emissions have used flux chamber measurements. Recent advances in detector technology now means that routine field-to-farm scale measurements of N2O emissions might be possible using the eddy covariance technique. In late 2016, we established an eddy covariance tower that measured N2O emissions from a dairy farm under year-round grazing. An Aerodyne quantum cascade laser (QCL) was used to measure N2O, CH4 and H2O concentration at 10 Hz and housed in a weatherproof and insulated enclosure (0.9 m ´ 1.2 m) and powered by mains power (240 VAC). The enclosure maintained a stable setpoint temperature (30±0.2°C) by using underground cooling pipes, fans and recirculating instrument heat. QCL (true 10 Hz digital) and CSAT3B sonic anemometer high frequency data are aligned using Network Time Protocol and EddyPro covariance maximisation during flux processing. Fluxes generally integrated over about 6-8 ha. Stable summertime baseline N2O fluxes (FN2O) were around 12-24 g N2O-N ha-1 d-1 (0.5-1.0 nmol N2O m-2 s-1). Grazing by cows during dry summer resulted in only modest increases in FN2O to 24-48 g N2O-N ha-1 d-1 (1.0-2.0 nmol N2O m-2 s-1). However, the first rain events after grazing resulted in large, short-lived (1-3 days) FN2O pulses reaching peaks of 144-192 g N2O-N ha-1 d-1 (6-8 nmol N2O m-2 s-1). During these elevated N2O emissions, FN2O displayed a significant diurnal signal, with peak fluxes mid-afternoon which was best explained by variation in shallow soil temperature in summer. In winter (both cooler and wetter) FN2O were not as easily explained on a daily basis but were generally greater than summer. Throughout the year, FN2O was strongly dependent on water filled

Precise soil management as a tool to reduce CH4 and N2O emissions from agricultural soils

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mosquera Losada, J.; Hol, J.M.G.; Rappoldt, C.; Dolfing, J.

2007-01-01

Soil compaction stimulates the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) from agricultural soils. N2O and CH4 are potent greenhouse gases, with a global warming potential respectively 296 times and 23 times greater than CO2.. Agricultural soils are an important source of N2O. Hence there is

Emissions of CO2, CO, NOx, HC, PM, HFC-134a, N2O and CH4 from the global light duty vehicle fleet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy J. Wallington

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Vehicles emit carbon dioxide (CO2, carbon monoxide (CO, nitrogen oxides (NOx, hydrocarbons (HC, particulate matter (PM, hydrofluorocarbon 134a (HFC-134a, methane (CH4, and nitrous oxide (N2O. An understanding of these emissions is needed in discussions of climate change and local air pollution issues. To facilitate such discussions an overview of past, present, and likely future emissions from light duty vehicles is presented. Emission control technologies have reduced the emissions of CO, VOCs, PM, HFC-134a, CH4, and N2O from modern vehicles to very low levels.

Effect of watershed urbanization on N2O emissions from the Chongqing metropolitan river network, China

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yixin; Wang, Xiaofeng; Chen, Huai; Yuan, Xingzhong; Wu, Ning; Zhang, Yuewei; Yue, Junsheng; Zhang, Qiaoyong; Diao, Yuanbin; Zhou, Lilei

2017-12-01

Watershed urbanization, an integrated anthropogenic perturbation, is another considerable global concern in addition to that of global warming and may significantly enrich the N loadings of watersheds, which then greatly influences the nitrous oxide (N2O) production and fluxes of these aquatic systems. However, little is known about the N2O dynamics in human-dominated metropolitan river networks. In this study, we present the temporal and spatial variations in N2O saturation and emission in the Chongqing metropolitan river network, which is undergoing intensified urbanization. The N2O saturation and fluxes at 84 sampling sites ranged from 126% to 10536% and from 4.5 to 1566.8 μmol N2O m-2 d-1, with means of 1780% and 261 μmol N2O m-2 d-1. The riverine N2O saturation and fluxes increased along with the urbanization gradient and urbanization rate, with disproportionately higher values in urban rivers due to the N2O-rich sewage inputs and enriched in situ N substrates. We found a clear seasonal pattern of N2O saturation, which was co-regulated by both water temperature and precipitation. Regression analysis indicated that the N substrates and dissolved oxygen (DO) that controlled nitrogen metabolism acted as good predictors of the N2O emissions of urban river networks. Particularly, phosphorus (P) and hydromorphological factors (water velocity, river size and bottom substrate) had stronger relationships with the N2O saturation and could also be used to predict the N2O emission hotspots in regions with rapid urbanization. In addition, the default emission factors (EF5-r) used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology may need revision given the differences among the physical and chemical factors in different rivers, especially urban rivers.

Soil N2O and NO emissions from land use and land-use change in the tropics and subtropics: a meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

van Lent, J.; Hergoualc'h, K.; Verchot, L. V.

2015-08-01

Deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics may substantially alter soil N-oxide emissions. It is particularly relevant to accurately quantify those changes to properly account for them in a REDD+ climate change mitigation scheme that provides financial incentives to reduce the emissions. With this study we provide updated land use (LU)-based emission rates (103 studies, 387 N2O and 111 NO case studies), determine the trend and magnitude of flux changes with land-use change (LUC) using a meta-analysis approach (43 studies, 132 N2O and 37 NO cases) and evaluate biophysical drivers of N2O and NO emissions and emission changes for the tropics. The average N2O and NO emissions in intact upland tropical forest amounted to 2.0 ± 0.2 (n = 88) and 1.7 ± 0.5 (n = 36) kg N ha-1 yr-1, respectively. In agricultural soils annual N2O emissions were exponentially related to N fertilization rates and average water-filled pore space (WFPS) whereas in non-agricultural sites a Gaussian response to WFPS fit better the observed NO and N2O emissions. The sum of soil N2O and NO fluxes and the ratio of N2O to NO increased exponentially and significantly with increasing nitrogen availability (expressed as NO3-/[NO3-+NH4+]) and WFPS, respectively; following the conceptual Hole-In-the-Pipe model. Nitrous and nitric oxide fluxes did not overall increase significantly as a result of LUC (Hedges's d of 0.11 ± 0.11 and 0.16 ± 0.19, respectively), however individual LUC trajectories or practices did. Nitrous oxide fluxes increased significantly after intact upland forest conversion to croplands (Hedges's d = 0.78 ± 0.24) and NO increased significantly following the conversion of low forest cover (secondary forest younger than 30 years, woodlands, shrublands) (Hedges's d of 0.44 ± 0.13). Forest conversion to fertilized systems significantly and highly raised both N2O and NO emission rates (Hedges's d of 1.03 ± 0.23 and 0.52 ± 0.09, respectively). Changes in nitrogen availability

Minimizing N2O emissions and carbon footprint on a full-scale activated sludge sequencing batch reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez-Caballero, A; Aymerich, I; Marques, Ricardo; Poch, M; Pijuan, M

2015-03-15

A continuous, on-line quantification of the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from a full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) placed in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was performed in this study. In general, N2O emissions from the biological wastewater treatment system were 97.1 ± 6.9 g N2O-N/Kg [Formula: see text] consumed or 6.8% of the influent [Formula: see text] load. In the WWTP of this study, N2O emissions accounted for over 60% of the total carbon footprint of the facility, on average. Different cycle configurations were implemented in the SBR aiming at reaching acceptable effluent values. Each cycle configuration consisted of sequences of aerated and non-aerated phases of different time length being controlled by the ammonium set-point fixed. Cycles with long aerated phases showed the largest N2O emissions, with the consequent increase in carbon footprint. Cycle configurations with intermittent aeration (aerated phases up to 20-30 min followed by short anoxic phases) were proven to effectively reduce N2O emissions, without compromising nitrification performance or increasing electricity consumption. This is the first study in which a successful operational strategy for N2O mitigation is identified at full-scale. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing uncertainties in crop and pasture ensemble model simulations of productivity and N2 O emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrhardt, Fiona; Soussana, Jean-François; Bellocchi, Gianni; Grace, Peter; McAuliffe, Russel; Recous, Sylvie; Sándor, Renáta; Smith, Pete; Snow, Val; de Antoni Migliorati, Massimiliano; Basso, Bruno; Bhatia, Arti; Brilli, Lorenzo; Doltra, Jordi; Dorich, Christopher D; Doro, Luca; Fitton, Nuala; Giacomini, Sandro J; Grant, Brian; Harrison, Matthew T; Jones, Stephanie K; Kirschbaum, Miko U F; Klumpp, Katja; Laville, Patricia; Léonard, Joël; Liebig, Mark; Lieffering, Mark; Martin, Raphaël; Massad, Raia S; Meier, Elizabeth; Merbold, Lutz; Moore, Andrew D; Myrgiotis, Vasileios; Newton, Paul; Pattey, Elizabeth; Rolinski, Susanne; Sharp, Joanna; Smith, Ward N; Wu, Lianhai; Zhang, Qing

2018-02-01

Simulation models are extensively used to predict agricultural productivity and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the uncertainties of (reduced) model ensemble simulations have not been assessed systematically for variables affecting food security and climate change mitigation, within multi-species agricultural contexts. We report an international model comparison and benchmarking exercise, showing the potential of multi-model ensembles to predict productivity and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions for wheat, maize, rice and temperate grasslands. Using a multi-stage modelling protocol, from blind simulations (stage 1) to partial (stages 2-4) and full calibration (stage 5), 24 process-based biogeochemical models were assessed individually or as an ensemble against long-term experimental data from four temperate grassland and five arable crop rotation sites spanning four continents. Comparisons were performed by reference to the experimental uncertainties of observed yields and N 2 O emissions. Results showed that across sites and crop/grassland types, 23%-40% of the uncalibrated individual models were within two standard deviations (SD) of observed yields, while 42 (rice) to 96% (grasslands) of the models were within 1 SD of observed N 2 O emissions. At stage 1, ensembles formed by the three lowest prediction model errors predicted both yields and N 2 O emissions within experimental uncertainties for 44% and 33% of the crop and grassland growth cycles, respectively. Partial model calibration (stages 2-4) markedly reduced prediction errors of the full model ensemble E-median for crop grain yields (from 36% at stage 1 down to 4% on average) and grassland productivity (from 44% to 27%) and to a lesser and more variable extent for N 2 O emissions. Yield-scaled N 2 O emissions (N 2 O emissions divided by crop yields) were ranked accurately by three-model ensembles across crop species and field sites. The potential of using process-based model ensembles to predict jointly

Subsurface watering resulted in reduced soil N2O and CO2 emissions and their global warming potentials than surface watering

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Qi; Xu, Junzeng; Yang, Shihong; Liao, Linxian; Jin, Guangqiu; Li, Yawei; Hameed, Fazli

2018-01-01

Water management is an important practice with significant effect on greenhouse gases (GHG) emission from soils. Nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their global warming potentials (GWPs) from subsurface watering soil (SUW) were investigated, with surface watering (SW) as a control. Results indicated that the N2O and CO2 emissions from SUW soils were somewhat different to those from SW soil, with the peak N2O and CO2 fluxes from SUW soil reduced by 28.9% and 19.4%, and appeared 72 h and 168 h later compared with SW. The fluxes of N2O and CO2 from SUW soils were lower than those from SW soil in both pulse and post-pulse periods, and the reduction was significantly (p0.1) lower that from SW soil. Moreover, N2O and CO2 fluxes from both watering treatments increased exponentially with increase of soil water-filled pore space (WFPS) and temperature. Our results suggest that watering soil from subsurface could significantly reduce the integrative greenhouse effect caused by N2O and CO2 and is a promising strategy for soil greenhouse gases (GHGs) mitigation. And the pulse period, contributed most to the reduction in emissions of N2O and CO2 from soils between SW and SUW, should be a key period for mitigating GHGs emissions. Response of N2O and CO2 emissions to soil WFPS and temperature illustrated that moisture was the dominant parameters that triggering GHG pulse emissions (especially for N2O), and temperature had a greater effect on the soil microorganism activity than moisture in drier soil. Avoiding moisture and temperature are appropriate for GHG emission at the same time is essential for GHGs mitigation, because peak N2O and CO2 emission were observed only when moisture and temperature are both appropriate.

Emissions of N2O from peat soils under different cropping systems

Science.gov (United States)

Norberg, Lisbet; Berglund, Örjan; Berglund, Kerstin

2016-04-01

Drainage of peatlands for agriculture use leads to an increase in nitrogen turnover rate causing emissions of N2O to the atmosphere. Agriculture contributes to a substantial part of the anthropogenic emissions of N2O therefore mitigation options for the farmers are important. Here we present a field study with the aim to investigate if the choice of cropping system can mitigate the emission of N2O from cultivated organic soils. The sites used in the study represent fen peat soils with a range of different soil properties located in different parts of southern Sweden. All sites are on active farms with good drainage. N2O emissions from the soil under two different crops grown on the same field, with the same soil type, drainage intensity and weather conditions, are compared by gas sampling. The crops included are oat, barley, carrot, potato and grassland. Three or four sampling occasions during the growing season in 2010 were carried out with static chambers. The N2O emission is calculated from the linear increase of gas concentration in the chamber headspace during the incubation time of 40 minutes. Parallel to the gas sampling soil temperature and soil moisture are measured and some soil properties determined. The result from the gas sampling and measurements show no significant difference in seasonal average N2O emission between the compared crops at any site. There are significant differences in N2O emissions between the compared crops at some of the single sampling occasions but the result vary and no crop can be pointed out as a mitigation option. The seasonal average N2O emissions varies from 16±17 to 1319±1971 μg N2O/m2/h with peaks up to 3317 μg N2O/m2/h. The N2O emission rate from peat soils are determined by other factors than the type of crops grown on the field. The emission rates vary during the season and especially between sites. Although all sites are fen peat soil the soil properties are different, e.g. carbon content varies between 27-43% and

Assessment of online monitoring strategies for measuring N2O emissions from full-scale wastewater treatment systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Ricardo; Rodriguez-Caballero, A; Oehmen, Adrian; Pijuan, Maite

2016-08-01

Clark-Type nitrous oxide (N2O) sensors are routinely used to measure dissolved N2O concentrations in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but have never before been applied to assess gas-phase N2O emissions in full-scale WWTPs. In this study, a full-scale N2O gas sensor was tested and validated for online gas measurements, and assessed with respect to its linearity, temperature dependence, signal saturation and drift prior to full-scale application. The sensor was linear at the concentrations tested (0-422.3, 0-50 and 0-10 ppmv N2O) and had a linear response up to 2750 ppmv N2O. An exponential correlation between temperature and sensor signal was described and predicted using a double exponential equation while the drift did not have a significant influence on the signal. The N2O gas sensor was used for online N2O monitoring in a full-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating domestic wastewater and results were compared with those obtained by a commercial online gas analyser. Emissions were successfully described by the sensor, being even more accurate than the values given by the commercial analyser at N2O concentrations above 500 ppmv. Data from this gas N2O sensor was also used to validate two models to predict N2O emissions from dissolved N2O measurements, one based on oxygen transfer rate and the other based on superficial velocity of the gas bubble. Using the first model, predictions for N2O emissions agreed by 98.7% with the measured by the gas sensor, while 87.0% similarity was obtained with the second model. This is the first study showing a reliable estimation of gas emissions based on dissolved N2O online data in a full-scale wastewater treatment facility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater treatment processes

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Yingyu; Ye, Liu; Pan, Yuting; Yuan, Zhiguo

2012-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from wastewater treatment plants vary substantially between plants, ranging from negligible to substantial (a few per cent of the total nitrogen load), probably because of different designs and operational conditions. In general, plants that achieve high levels of nitrogen removal emit less N2O, indicating that no compromise is required between high water quality and lower N2O emissions. N2O emissions primarily occur in aerated zones/compartments/periods owing to active stripping, and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, rather than heterotrophic denitrifiers, are the main contributors. However, the detailed mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated, despite strong evidence suggesting that both nitrifier denitrification and the chemical breakdown of intermediates of hydroxylamine oxidation are probably involved. With increased understanding of the fundamental reactions responsible for N2O production in wastewater treatment systems and the conditions that stimulate their occurrence, reduction of N2O emissions from wastewater treatment systems through improved plant design and operation will be achieved in the near future. PMID:22451112

Reduction in soil N2O emissions by pH manipulation and enhanced nosZ gene transcription under different water regimes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaaban, Muhammad; Wu, Yupeng; Khalid, Muhammad Salman; Peng, Qi-An; Xu, Xiangyu; Wu, Lei; Younas, Aneela; Bashir, Saqib; Mo, Yongliang; Lin, Shan; Zafar-Ul-Hye, Muhammad; Abid, Muhammad; Hu, Ronggui

2018-04-01

Several studies have been carried out to examine nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from agricultural soils in the past. However, the emissions of N 2 O particularly during amelioration of acidic soils have been rarely studied. We carried out the present study using a rice-rapeseed rotation soil (pH 5.44) that was amended with dolomite (0, 1 and 2 g kg -1 soil) under 60% water filled pore space (WFPS) and flooding. N 2 O emissions and several soil properties (pH, NH 4 + N, NO 3 - -N, and nosZ gene transcripts) were measured throughout the study. The increase in soil pH with dolomite application triggered soil N transformation and transcripts of nosZ gene controlling N 2 O emissions under both water regimes (60% WFPS and flooding). The 60% WFPS produced higher soil N 2 O emissions than that of flooding, and dolomite largely reduced N 2 O emissions at higher pH under both water regimes through enhanced transcription of nosZ gene. The results suggest that ameliorating soil acidity with dolomite can substantially mitigate N 2 O emissions through promoting nosZ gene transcription. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of biochar to soil and N2O emissions: potential effects of blending fast‐pyrolysis biochar with anaerobically digested slurry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bruun, Esben; Müller-Stöver, Dorette Sophie; Ambus, Per

2011-01-01

Soil applications of recalcitrant biochar offer the possibility of mitigating climate change effects through long‐term carbon sequestration and potentially also by reducing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). This laboratory study examined the effect of combining a fast......‐pyrolysis biochar at small (1% by mass) and large (3%) concentrations with anaerobically digested slurry on soil N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions over a period of 55 days. The results showed that fast‐pyrolysis biochar applied on its own increased N2O emissions from soil. However, when biochar was applied...... together with slurry, the larger biochar concentration decreased N2O emissions by 47%, relative to those from the slurry treatment with the smaller biochar concentration. Reduced N2O emissions coincided with enhanced soil microbial activity and immobilization of nitrogen. A combined application of biochar...

N2O emissions from an intermittently aerated semi-aerobic aged refuse bioreactor: Combined effect of COD and NH4+-N in influent leachate.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Weihua; Sun, Yingjie; Bian, Rongxing; Wang, Huawei; Zhang, Dalei

2017-11-01

The carbon-nitrogen ratio (COD/NH 4 + -N) is an important factor affecting nitrification and denitrification in wastewater treatment; this factor also influences nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. This study investigated two simulated intermittently aerated semi-aerobic aged refuse bioreactors (SAARB) filled with 8-year old aged refuse (AR). The research analyzed how differences in and the combination of influent COD and NH 4 + -N impact N 2 O emissions in leachate treatment. Experimental results showed that N 2 O emissions increased as the influent COD/NH 4 + -N decreased. The influent COD had a greater effect on N 2 O emissions than NH 4 + -N at the same influent ratios of COD/NH 4 + -N (2.7 and 8.0, respectively). The maximum N 2 O emission accounted for 8.82±2.65% of the total nitrogen removed from the influent leachate; the maximum level occurred when the COD was 2000mg/L. An analysis of differences in influent carbon sources at the same COD/NH 4 + -N ratios concluded that the availability of biodegradable carbon substrates (i.e. glucose) is an important factor affecting N 2 O emissions. At a low influent COD/NH 4 + -N ratio (2.7), the N 2 O conversion rate was greater when there were more biodegradable carbon substrates. Although the SAARB included the N 2 O generation and reduction processes, N 2 O reduction mainly occurred later in the process, after leachate recirculation. The maximum N 2 O emission rate occurred in the first hour of single-period (24h) experiments, as leachate contacted the surface AR. In practical SAARB applications, N 2 O emissions may be reduced by measures such as reducing the initial recirculation loading of NH 4 + -N substrates, adding a later supplement of biodegradable carbon substrates, and/or prolonging hydraulic retention time (HRT) of influent leachate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Resolution Measurements of Nitrous Oxide (N2O in the Elbe Estuary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lisa Brase

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Nitrous oxide (N2O is one of the most important greenhouse gases and a major sink for stratospheric ozone. Estuaries are sites of intense biological production and N2O emissions. We aimed to identify hot spots of N2O production and potential pathways contributing to N2O concentrations in the surface water of the tidal Elbe estuary. During two research cruises in April and June 2015, surface water N2O concentrations were measured along the salinity gradient of the Elbe estuary by using a laser-based on-line analyzer coupled to an equilibrator. Based on these high-resolution N2O profiles, N2O saturations, and fluxes across the surface water/atmosphere interface were calculated. Additional measurements of DIN concentrations, oxygen concentration, and salinity were performed. Highest N2O concentrations were determined in the Hamburg port region reaching maximum values of 32.3 nM in April 2015 and 52.2 nM in June 2015. These results identify the Hamburg port region as a significant hot spot of N2O production, where linear correlations of AOU-N2Oxs indicate nitrification as an important contributor to N2O production in the freshwater part. However, in the region with lowest oxygen saturation, sediment denitrification obviously affected water column N2O saturation. The average N2O saturation over the entire estuary was 201% (SD: ±94%, with an average estuarine N2O flux density of 48 μmol m−2 d−1 and an overall emission of 0.18 Gg N2O y−1. In comparison to previous studies, our data indicate that N2O production pathways over the whole estuarine freshwater part have changed from predominant denitrification in the 1980s toward significant production from nitrification in the present estuary. Despite a significant reduction in N2O saturation compared to the 1980s, N2O concentrations nowadays remain on a high level, comparable to the mid-90s, although a steady decrease of DIN inputs occurred over the last decades. Hence, the Elbe estuary still

The 2017 Fertilizer Emissions Airborne Study (FEAST): Quantifying N2O emissions from croplands and fertilizer plants in the Mississippi River Valley.

Science.gov (United States)

Kort, E. A.; Gvakharia, A.; Smith, M. L.; Conley, S.; Frauhammer, K.

2017-12-01

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) is a crucial atmospheric trace gas that drives 21st century stratospheric ozone depletion and substantively impacts climate. Anthropogenic emissions drive the global imbalance and annual growth of N2O, and the dominant anthropogenic source is fertilizer production and application, both of which have large uncertainties. In this presentation we will discuss the FEAST campaign, a study designed to demonstrate new approaches to quantify N2O emissions from fertilizer production and usage with aircraft measurements. In the FEAST campaign we deployed new instrumentation along with experienced flight sensors onboard the Scientific Aviation Mooney aircraft to make 40 hours of continuous 1Hz measurements of N2O, CO2, CO, H2O, CH4, O3, T, and winds. The Mississippi River Valley provided an optimal target as this location includes significant fertilizer production facilities as well as large cropland areas (dominated by corn, soy, rice, and cotton) with substantive fertilizer application. By leveraging our payload and unique airborne capabilities we directly observe and quantify N2O emissions from individual fertilizer production facilities (as well as CO2 and CH4 emissions from these same facilities). We are also able to quantify N2O fluxes from large cropland areas ( 100's km) employing a mass balance approach, a first for N2O, and will show results highlighting differences between crop types and amounts of applied fertilizer. The ability to quantify fluxes of croplands at 100km scale enables new understanding of processes controlling emissions at spatial scales that has eluded prior studies that either rely on extrapolation of small (flux chamber, towers), or work on 1,000+ km spatial scales (regional-global inversions from atmospheric measurements).

Frozen cropland soil in northeast China as source of N2O and CO2 emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Shujie; Qiao, Yunfa; Han, Xiaozeng; Brancher Franco, Roberta; Burger, Martin

2014-01-01

Agricultural soils are important sources of atmospheric N2O and CO2. However, in boreal agro-ecosystems the contribution of the winter season to annual emissions of these gases has rarely been determined. In this study, soil N2O and CO2 fluxes were measured for 6 years in a corn-soybean-wheat rotation in northeast China to quantify the contribution of wintertime N2O and CO2 fluxes to annual emissions. The treatments were chemical fertilizer (NPK), chemical fertilizer plus composted pig manure (NPKOM), and control (Cont.). Mean soil N2O fluxes among all three treatments in the winter (November-March), when soil temperatures are below -7°C for extended periods, were 0.89-3.01 µg N m(-2) h(-1), and in between the growing season and winter (October and April), when freeze-thaw events occur, 1.73-5.48 µg N m(-2) h(-1). The cumulative N2O emissions were on average 0.27-1.39, 0.03-0.08 and 0.03-0.11 kg N2O_N ha(-1) during the growing season, October and April, and winter, respectively. The average contributions of winter N2O efflux to annual emissions were 6.3-12.1%. In all three seasons, the highest N2O emissions occurred in NPKOM, while NPK and Cont. emissions were similar. Cumulative CO2 emissions were 2.73-4.94, 0.13-0.20 and 0.07-0.11 Mg CO2-C ha(-1) during growing season, October and April, and winter, respectively. The contribution of winter CO2 to total annual emissions was 2.0-2.4%. Our results indicate that in boreal agricultural systems in northeast China, CO2 and N2O emissions continue throughout the winter.

[Effects of diurnal warming on soil N2O emission in soybean field].

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Zheng-Hua; Zhou, Ying-Ping; Cui, Hai-Ling; Chen, Shu-Tao; Xiao, Qi-Tao; Liu, Yan

2013-08-01

To investigate the impact of experimental warming on N2O emission from soil of soybean field, outdoor experiments with simulating diurnal warming were conducted, and static dark chamber-gas chromatograph method was used to measure N2O emission fluxes. Results indicated that: the diurnal warming did not change the seasonal pattern of N2O emissions from soil. In the whole growing season, comparing to the control treatment (CK), the warming treatment (T) significantly enhanced the N2O flux and the cumulative amount of N2O by 17.31% (P = 0.019), and 20.27% (P = 0.005), respectively. The significant correlations were found between soil N2O emission and soil temperature, moisture. The temperature sensitivity values of soil N2O emission under CK and T treatments were 3.75 and 4.10, respectively. In whole growing stage, T treatment significantly increased the crop aboveground and total biomass, the nitrate reductase activity, and total nitrogen in leaves, while significantly decreased NO3(-) -N content in leaves. T treatment significantly increased soil NO3(-) -N content, but had no significant effect on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents. The results of this study suggested that diurnal warming enhanced N2O emission from soil in soybean field.

Nitrous Oxide (N2O production in axenic Chlorella vulgaris microalgae cultures: evidence, putative pathways, and potential environmental impacts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Guieysse

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Using antibiotic assays and genomic analysis, this study demonstrates nitrous oxide (N2O is generated from axenic Chlorella vulgaris cultures. In batch assays, this production is magnified under conditions favouring intracellular nitrite accumulation, but repressed when nitrate reductase (NR activity is inhibited. These observations suggest N2O formation in C. vulgaris might proceed via NR-mediated nitrite reduction into nitric oxide (NO acting as N2O precursor via a pathway similar to N2O formation in bacterial denitrifiers, although NO reduction to N2O under oxia remains unproven in plant cells. Alternatively, NR may reduce nitrite to nitroxyl (HNO, the latter being known to dimerize to N2O under oxia. Regardless of the precursor considered, an NR-mediated nitrite reduction pathway provides a unifying explanation for correlations reported between N2O emissions from algae-based ecosystems and NR activity, nitrate concentration, nitrite concentration, and photosynthesis repression. Moreover, these results indicate microalgae-mediated N2O formation might significantly contribute to N2O emissions in algae-based ecosystems (e.g. 1.38–10.1 kg N2O-N ha−1 yr−1 in a 0.25 m deep raceway pond operated under Mediterranean climatic conditions. These findings have profound implications for the life cycle analysis of algae biotechnologies and our understanding of the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle.

Ammonia oxidation pathways and nitrifier denitrification are significant sources of N2O and NO under low oxygen availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xia; Burger, Martin; Doane, Timothy A; Horwath, William R

2013-04-16

The continuous increase of nitrous oxide (N2O) abundance in the atmosphere is a global concern. Multiple pathways of N2O production occur in soil, but their significance and dependence on oxygen (O2) availability and nitrogen (N) fertilizer source are poorly understood. We examined N2O and nitric oxide (NO) production under 21%, 3%, 1%, 0.5%, and 0% (vol/vol) O2 concentrations following urea or ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2SO4] additions in loam, clay loam, and sandy loam soils that also contained ample nitrate. The contribution of the ammonia (NH3) oxidation pathways (nitrifier nitrification, nitrifier denitrification, and nitrification-coupled denitrification) and heterotrophic denitrification (HD) to N2O production was determined in 36-h incubations in microcosms by (15)N-(18)O isotope and NH3 oxidation inhibition (by 0.01% acetylene) methods. Nitrous oxide and NO production via NH3 oxidation pathways increased as O2 concentrations decreased from 21% to 0.5%. At low (0.5% and 3%) O2 concentrations, nitrifier denitrification contributed between 34% and 66%, and HD between 34% and 50% of total N2O production. Heterotrophic denitrification was responsible for all N2O production at 0% O2. Nitrifier denitrification was the main source of N2O production from ammonical fertilizer under low O2 concentrations with urea producing more N2O than (NH4)2SO4 additions. These findings challenge established thought attributing N2O emissions from soils with high water content to HD due to presumably low O2 availability. Our results imply that management practices that increase soil aeration, e.g., reducing compaction and enhancing soil structure, together with careful selection of fertilizer sources and/or nitrification inhibitors, could decrease N2O production in agricultural soils.

Ammonium sorption and ammonia inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria explain contrasting soil N2O production

Science.gov (United States)

Venterea, R. T.; Sadowsky, M.; Breuillin-Sessoms, F.; Wang, P.; Clough, T. J.; Coulter, J. A.

2015-12-01

Better understanding of process controls over nitrous oxide (N2O) production in urine-impacted 'hot spots' and fertilizer bands is needed to improve mitigation strategies and emission models. Following amendment with bovine (Bos taurus) urine (Bu) or urea (Ur), we measured inorganic N, pH, N2O, and genes associated with nitrification in two soils ('L' and 'W') having similar texture, pH, C, and C/N ratio. Solution-phase ammonia (slNH3) was also calculated accounting for non-linear ammonium (NH4+) sorption capacities (ASC). Soil W displayed greater nitrification rates and nitrate (NO3-) levels than soil L, but was more resistant to nitrite (NO2-) accumulation and produced two to ten times less N2O than soil L. Genes associated with NO2- oxidation (nxrA) increased substantially in soil W but remained static in soil L. Soil NO2- was strongly correlated with N2O production, and cumulative (c-) slNH3 explained 87% of the variance in c-NO2-. Differences between soils were explained by greater slNH3 in soil L which inhibited NO2- oxidization leading to greater NO2- levels and N2O production. This is the first study to correlate the dynamics of soil slNH3, NO2-, N2O and nitrifier genes, and the first to show how ASC can regulate NO2- levels and N2O production.

A New High-Resolution N2O Emission Inventory for China in 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Z.; Zhou, F.; Ciais, P.; Tao, S.; Piao, S.; Raymond, P. A.; He, C.; Li, B.; Wang, R.; Wang, X.; Peng, S.; Zeng, Z.; Chen, H.; Ying, N.; Hou, X.; Xu, P.

2014-12-01

The amount and geographic distribution of N2O emissions over China remain largely uncertain. Most of existing emission inventories use uniform emission factors (EFs) and the associated parameters and apply spatial proxies to downscale national or provincial data, resulting in the introduction of spatial bias. In this study, county-level and 0.1° × 0.1° gridded anthropogenic N2O emission inventories for China (PKU-N2O) in 2008 are developed based on high-resolution activity data and regional EFs and parameters. These new estimates are compared with estimates from EDGAR v4.2, GAINS-China, National Development and Reform Commission of China (NDRC), and with two sensitivity tests: one that uses high-resolution activity data but the default IPCC methodology (S1) and the other that uses regional EFs and parameters but starts from coarser-resolution activity data. The total N2O emissions are 2150 GgN2O/yr (interquartile range from 1174 to 2787 GgN2O/yr). Agriculture contributes 64% of the total, followed by energy (17%), indirect emissions (12%), wastes (5%), industry (2.8%), and wildfires (0.2%). Our national emission total is 17% greater than that of the EDGAR v4.2 global product sampled over China and is also greater than the GAINS-China, NDRC, and S1 estimates by 10%, 50%, and 17%, respectively. We also found that using uniform EFs and parameters or starting from national/provincial data causes systematic spatial biases compared to PKU-N2O. In addition, the considerable differences between the relative contributions of the six sectors across the six Agro-Climate Zones primarily reflect the different distributions of industrial activities and land use. Eastern China (8.7% area of China) is the largest contributor of N2O emissions and accounts for nearly 25% of the total. Spatial analysis also shows nonlinear relationships between N2O emission intensities and urbanization. Per-capita and per-GDP N2O emissions increase gradually with an increase in the urban

Reviews and syntheses: Soil N2O and NO emissions from land use and land-use change in the tropics and subtropics: a meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

van Lent, J.; Hergoualc'h, K.; Verchot, L. V.

2015-12-01

Deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics may substantially alter soil N-oxide emissions. It is particularly relevant to accurately quantify those changes to properly account for them in a REDD+ climate change mitigation scheme that provides financial incentives to reduce the emissions. With this study we provide updated land use (LU)-based emission rates (104 studies, 392 N2O and 111 NO case studies), we determine the trend and magnitude of flux changes with land-use change (LUC) using a meta-analysis approach (44 studies, 135 N2O and 37 NO cases) and evaluate biophysical drivers of N2O and NO emissions and emission changes for the tropics. The average N2O and NO emissions in intact upland tropical forest amounted to 2.0 ± 0.2 (n = 90) and 1.7 ± 0.5 (n = 36) kg N ha-1 yr-1, respectively. In agricultural soils annual N2O emissions were exponentially related to N fertilization rates and average water-filled pore space (WFPS) whereas in non-agricultural sites a Gaussian response to WFPS fit better with the observed NO and N2O emissions. The sum of soil N2O and NO fluxes and the ratio of N2O to NO increased exponentially and significantly with increasing nitrogen availability (expressed as NO3- / [NO3-+NH4+]) and WFPS, respectively; following the conceptual Hole-In-the-Pipe model. Nitrous and nitric oxide fluxes did not increase significantly overall as a result of LUC (Hedges's d of 0.11 ± 0.11 and 0.16 ± 0.19, respectively), however individual LUC trajectories or practices did. Nitrous oxide fluxes increased significantly after intact upland forest conversion to croplands (Hedges's d = 0.78 ± 0.24) and NO increased significantly following the conversion of low forest cover (secondary forest younger than 30 years, woodlands, shrublands) (Hedges's d of 0.44 ± 0.13). Forest conversion to fertilized systems significantly and highly raised both N2O and NO emission rates (Hedges's d of 1.03 ± 0.23 and 0.52 ± 0.09, respectively). Changes in nitrogen

Greenhouse impact of CH{sub 4}, N{sub 2}O and CFC emissions in Finland and its control potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pipatti, R.; Savolainen, I.; Sinisalo, J. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1995-12-31

Methane (CH{sub 4}), nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions contribute considerably to the anthropogenic enhancement of Earth`s greenhouse effect. The limitation of atmospheric concentrations of CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O is considered important also in the Climate Convention. Chlorine released from the CFCs in the stratosphere destroys ozone (O{sub 3}) and the emissions are therefore regulated with the Montreal Protocol. The greenhouse impact of CFCs might be, at least to some extent, compensated by the depletion of O{sub 3} which is also a greenhouse gas. The objective of the presentation is to assess the role of anthropogenic CH{sub 4}, N{sub 2}O, and CFC emissions in the total direct greenhouse impact due to human activities in Finland. The emission estimates for the gases are presented, as well as scenarios for emission history, future development and control potential. The greenhouse impact of the gases is compared with that of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions in Finland. (author)

Greenhouse impact of CH{sub 4}, N{sub 2}O and CFC emissions in Finland and its control potential

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pipatti, R; Savolainen, I; Sinisalo, J [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

1996-12-31

Methane (CH{sub 4}), nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions contribute considerably to the anthropogenic enhancement of Earth`s greenhouse effect. The limitation of atmospheric concentrations of CH{sub 4} and N{sub 2}O is considered important also in the Climate Convention. Chlorine released from the CFCs in the stratosphere destroys ozone (O{sub 3}) and the emissions are therefore regulated with the Montreal Protocol. The greenhouse impact of CFCs might be, at least to some extent, compensated by the depletion of O{sub 3} which is also a greenhouse gas. The objective of the presentation is to assess the role of anthropogenic CH{sub 4}, N{sub 2}O, and CFC emissions in the total direct greenhouse impact due to human activities in Finland. The emission estimates for the gases are presented, as well as scenarios for emission history, future development and control potential. The greenhouse impact of the gases is compared with that of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions in Finland. (author)

In situ N{sub 2}O emissions are not mitigated by hippuric and benzoic acids under denitrifying conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krol, D.J., E-mail: dominika.krol@teagasc.ie; Forrestal, P.J.; Lanigan, G.J.; Richards, K.G.

2015-04-01

Ruminant urine patches deposited onto pasture are a significant source of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) from livestock agriculture. Increasing food demand is predicted to lead to a rise in ruminant numbers globally, which, in turn will result in elevated levels of urine-derived N{sub 2}O. Therefore mitigation strategies are urgently needed. Urine contains hippuric acid and together with one of its breakdown products, benzoic acid, has previously been linked to mitigating N{sub 2}O emissions from urine patches in laboratory studies. However, the sole field study to date found no effect of hippuric and benzoic acid concentration on N{sub 2}O emissions. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the in situ effect of these urine constituents on N{sub 2}O emissions under conditions conducive to denitrification losses. Unadulterated bovine urine (0 mM of hippuric acid, U) was applied, as well as urine amended with either benzoic acid (96 mM, U + BA) or varying rates of hippuric acid (8 and 82 mM, U + HA1, U + HA2). Soil inorganic nitrogen (N) and N{sub 2}O fluxes were monitored over a 66 day period. Urine application resulted in elevated N{sub 2}O flux for 44 days. The largest N{sub 2}O fluxes accounting for between 13% (U) and 26% (U + HA1) of total loss were observed on the day of urine application. Between 0.9 and 1.3% of urine-N was lost as N{sub 2}O. Cumulative N{sub 2}O loss from the control was 0.3 kg N{sub 2}O–N ha{sup −1} compared with 11, 9, 12, and 10 kg N{sub 2}O–N ha{sup −1} for the U, U + HA1, U + HA2, and U + BA treatments, respectively. Incremental increases in urine HA or increase in BA concentrations had no effect on N{sub 2}O emissions. Although simulation of dietary manipulation to reduce N{sub 2}O emissions through altering individual urine constituents appears to have no effect, there may be other manipulations such as reducing N content or inclusion of synthetic inhibitory products that warrant further investigation

Climate, duration, and N placement determine N2 O emissions in reduced tillage systems: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

van Kessel, Chris; Venterea, Rodney; Six, Johan; Adviento-Borbe, Maria Arlene; Linquist, Bruce; van Groenigen, Kees Jan

2013-01-01

No-tillage and reduced tillage (NT/RT) management practices are being promoted in agroecosystems to reduce erosion, sequester additional soil C and reduce production costs. The impact of NT/RT on N2 O emissions, however, has been variable with both increases and decreases in emissions reported. Herein, we quantitatively synthesize studies on the short- and long-term impact of NT/RT on N2 O emissions in humid and dry climatic zones with emissions expressed on both an area- and crop yield-scaled basis. A meta-analysis was conducted on 239 direct comparisons between conventional tillage (CT) and NT/RT. In contrast to earlier studies, averaged across all comparisons, NT/RT did not alter N2 O emissions compared with CT. However, NT/RT significantly reduced N2 O emissions in experiments >10 years, especially in dry climates. No significant correlation was found between soil texture and the effect of NT/RT on N2 O emissions. When fertilizer-N was placed at ≥5 cm depth, NT/RT significantly reduced area-scaled N2 O emissions, in particular under humid climatic conditions. Compared to CT under dry climatic conditions, yield-scaled N2 O increased significantly (57%) when NT/RT was implemented <10 years, but decreased significantly (27%) after ≥10 years of NT/RT. There was a significant decrease in yield-scaled N2 O emissions in humid climates when fertilizer-N was placed at ≥5 cm depth. Therefore, in humid climates, deep placement of fertilizer-N is recommended when implementing NT/RT. In addition, NT/RT practices need to be sustained for a prolonged time, particularly in dry climates, to become an effective mitigation strategy for reducing N2 O emissions. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Variability of N{sub 2}O emissions during the production of poplar and rye

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kern, Juergen; Hellebrand, Hans Juergen; Scholz, Volkhard [ATB Potsdam (Germany)], E-mail: jkern@atb-potsdam.de

2008-07-01

The emission of N{sub 2}O from the soil has a significant impact on the greenhouse gas balance of energy crops. Soil type, temperature, precipitation, tillage practice and level of fertilization may affect the source strength of N{sub 2}O emissions and fertilizer-induced N{sub 2}O emissions. The N{sub 2}O-fluxes from different sites of an experimental field were measured by the flux chamber method over a period of four years (2003-2006). Poplar and rye as one perennial and one annual crop were fertilized at levels of 0 kg N ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}, 75 kg N ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} and 150 kg N ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}. Enhanced N{sub 2}O emission spots with maxima of up to 1653 {mu}g N{sub 2}O m{sup -2} h{sup -1} were observed at fertilized sites for several weeks. The emissions ranged between 0.4 kg N{sub 2}O-N ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} and 2.7 kg N{sub 2}O-N ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1} depending on fertilization level, crop variety and year. The mean conversion factor was 2.1% for poplar and 0.9% for rye. The CO{sub 2}-advantage of energy crops is reduced by N{sub 2}O emissions by up to 10%. (author)

Emission of CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O from soil cultivated with common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) fertilized with different N sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fernandez-Luqueno, F.; Reyes-Varela, V.; Martinez-Suarez, C.; Reynoso-Keller, R.E.; Mendez-Bautista, J.; Ruiz-Romero, E. [Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Cinvestav, Mexico D.F, C.P. 07360 (Mexico); Lopez-Valdez, F. [Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Cinvestav, Mexico D.F, C.P. 07360 (Mexico); CIBA, IPN, Tepetitla de Lardizabal, Tlaxcala C.P. 90700 (Mexico); Luna-Guido, M.L. [Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Cinvestav, Mexico D.F, C.P. 07360 (Mexico); Dendooven, L., E-mail: dendoove@cinvestav.mx [Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Cinvestav, Mexico D.F, C.P. 07360 (Mexico)

2009-07-01

Addition of different forms of nitrogen fertilizer to cultivated soil is known to affect carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) emissions. In this study, the effect of urea, wastewater sludge and vermicompost on emissions of CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O in soil cultivated with bean was investigated. Beans were cultivated in the greenhouse in three consecutive experiments, fertilized with or without wastewater sludge at two application rates (33 and 55 Mg fresh wastewater sludge ha{sup -1}, i.e. 48 and 80 kg N ha{sup -1} considering a N mineralization rate of 40%), vermicompost derived from the wastewater sludge (212 Mg ha{sup -1}, i.e. 80 kg N ha{sup -1}) or urea (170 kg ha{sup -1}, i.e. 80 kg N ha{sup -1}), while pH, electrolytic conductivity (EC), inorganic nitrogen and CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O emissions were monitored. Vermicompost added to soil increased EC at onset of the experiment, but thereafter values were similar to the other treatments. Most of the NO{sub 3}{sup -} was taken up by the plants, although some was leached from the upper to the lower soil layer. CO{sub 2} emission was 375 C kg ha{sup -1} y{sup -1} in the unamended soil, 340 kg C ha{sup -1} y{sup -1} in the urea-amended soil and 839 kg ha{sup -1} y{sup -1} in the vermicompost-amended soil. N{sub 2}O emission was 2.92 kg N ha{sup -1} y{sup -1} in soil amended with 55 Mg wastewater sludge ha{sup -1}, but only 0.03 kg N ha{sup -1} y{sup -1} in the unamended soil. The emission of CO{sub 2} was affected by the phenological stage of the plant while organic fertilizer increased the CO{sub 2} and N{sub 2}O emission, and the yield per plant. Environmental and economic implications must to be considered to decide how many, how often and what kind of organic fertilizer could be used to increase yields, while limiting soil deterioration and greenhouse gas emissions.

Projections of oceanic N2O emissions in the 21st century using the IPSL Earth system model

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Rey, J.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.; Tagliabue, A.; Gruber, N.

2015-07-01

The ocean is a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere, but little is known about how this flux might change in the future. Here, we investigate the potential evolution of marine N2O emissions in the 21st century in response to anthropogenic climate change using the global ocean biogeochemical model NEMO-PISCES. Assuming nitrification as the dominant N2O formation pathway, we implemented two different parameterizations of N2O production which differ primarily under low-oxygen (O2) conditions. When forced with output from a climate model simulation run under the business-as-usual high-CO2 concentration scenario (RCP8.5), our simulations suggest a decrease of 4 to 12 % in N2O emissions from 2005 to 2100, i.e., a reduction from 4.03/3.71 to 3.54/3.56 TgN yr-1 depending on the parameterization. The emissions decrease strongly in the western basins of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, while they tend to increase above the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), i.e., in the eastern tropical Pacific and in the northern Indian Ocean. The reduction in N2O emissions is caused on the one hand by weakened nitrification as a consequence of reduced primary and export production, and on the other hand by stronger vertical stratification, which reduces the transport of N2O from the ocean interior to the ocean surface. The higher emissions over the OMZ are linked to an expansion of these zones under global warming, which leads to increased N2O production, associated primarily with denitrification. While there are many uncertainties in the relative contribution and changes in the N2O production pathways, the increasing storage seems unequivocal and determines largely the decrease in N2O emissions in the future. From the perspective of a global climate system, the averaged feedback strength associated with the projected decrease in oceanic N2O emissions amounts to around -0.009 W m-2 K-1, which is comparable to the potential increase from terrestrial N2O sources. However

"Hot spots" of N and C impact nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas emissions from a UK grassland soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Loick, Nadine; Dixon, Elizabeth; Abalos, Diego; Vallejo, Antonio; Matthews, Peter; McGeough, Karen; Watson, Catherine; Baggs, Elizabeth M; Cardenas, Laura M

2017-11-01

Agricultural soils are a major source of nitric- (NO) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which are produced and consumed by biotic and abiotic soil processes. The dominant sources of NO and N 2 O are microbial nitrification and denitrification, and emissions of NO and N 2 O generally increase after fertiliser application. The present study investigated the impact of N-source distribution on emissions of NO and N 2 O from soil and the significance of denitrification, rather than nitrification, as a source of NO emissions. To eliminate spatial variability and changing environmental factors which impact processes and results, the experiment was conducted under highly controlled conditions. A laboratory incubation system (DENIS) was used, allowing simultaneous measurement of three N-gases (NO, N 2 O, N 2 ) emitted from a repacked soil core, which was combined with 15 N-enrichment isotopic techniques to determine the source of N emissions. It was found that the areal distribution of N and C significantly affected the quantity and timing of gaseous emissions and 15 N-analysis showed that N 2 O emissions resulted almost exclusively from the added amendments. Localised higher concentrations, so-called hot spots, resulted in a delay in N 2 O and N 2 emissions causing a longer residence time of the applied N-source in the soil, therefore minimising NO emissions while at the same time being potentially advantageous for plant-uptake of nutrients. If such effects are also observed for a wider range of soils and conditions, then this will have major implications for fertiliser application protocols to minimise gaseous N emissions while maintaining fertilisation efficiency.

Earthworm-induced N2O emissions in a sandy soil with surface-applied crop residues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giannopoulos, G.; Groenigen, van J.W.; Pulleman, M.M.

2011-01-01

Earlier research with endogeic and epigeic earthworm species in loamy arable soil has shown that both earthworm groups can increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, provided that crop residue placement matches the feeding strategy of the earthworm ecological group(s). However, it is not yet clear

Uncertainties in United States agricultural N2O emissions: comparing forward model simulations to atmospheric N2O data.

Science.gov (United States)

Nevison, C. D.; Saikawa, E.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Andrews, A. E.; Sweeney, C.

2014-12-01

Atmospheric N2O concentrations have increased from 275 ppb in the preindustrial to about 325 ppb in recent years, a ~20% increase with important implications for both anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and stratospheric ozone recovery. This increase has been driven largely by synthetic fertilizer production and other perturbations to the global nitrogen cycle associated with human agriculture. Several recent regional atmospheric inversion studies have quantified North American agricultural N2O emissions using top-down constraints based on atmospheric N2O data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, including surface, aircraft and tall tower platforms. These studies have concluded that global N2O inventories such as EDGAR may be underestimating the true U.S. anthropogenic N2O source by a factor of 3 or more. However, simple back-of-the-envelope calculations show that emissions of this magnitude are difficult to reconcile with the basic constraints of the global N2O budget. Here, we explore some possible reasons why regional atmospheric inversions might overestimate the U.S. agricultural N2O source. First, the seasonality of N2O agricultural sources is not well known, but can have an important influence on inversion results, particularly when the inversions are based on data that are concentrated in the spring/summer growing season. Second, boundary conditions can strongly influence regional inversions but the boundary conditions used may not adequately account for remote influences on surface data such as the seasonal stratospheric influx of N2O-depleted air. We will present a set of forward model simulations, using the Community Land Model (CLM) and two atmospheric chemistry tracer transport models, MOZART and the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), that examine the influence of terrestrial emissions and atmospheric chemistry and dynamics on atmospheric variability in N2O at U.S. and

The effects of fire on biogenic soil emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Joel S.; Cofer, Wesley R., III; Sebacher, Daniel I.; Boston, Penelope J.; Winstead, Edward L.; Sebacher, Shirley

1988-01-01

Measurements of biogenic soil emissions of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) before and after a controlled burn conducted in a chaparral ecosystem on June 22, 1987, showed significantly enhanced emissions of both gases after the burn. Mean NO emissions from heavily burned and wetted (to simulate rainfall) sites exceeded 40 ng N/sq m s, and increase of 2 to 3 compared to preburn wetted site measurements. N2O emissions from burned and wetted sites ranged from 9 to 22 ng N/sq m s. Preburn N2O emissions from these wetted sites were all below the detection level of the instrumentation, indicating a flux below 2 ng N/sq m s. The flux of NO exceeded the N2O flux from burned wetted sites by factors ranging from 2.7 to 3.4. These measurements, coupled with preburn and postburn measurements of ammonium and nitrate in the soil of this chaparral ecosystem and measurements of NO and N2O emissions obtained under controlled laboratory conditions, suggest that the postfire enhancement of NO and N2O emissions is due to production of these gases by nitrifying bacteria.

Nitrous oxide emissions of energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinnunen, L.

1998-01-01

The share of energy production of the world-wide total N 2 O emissions is about 10 %. In 1991 the N 2 O emissions estimated to be up to 30 %. The previous estimates based on incorrect measurements. The measurement methods have been improved during the past few years. The present measurements have shown that the share of the combustion of fossil fuels is about 2.0 % and the share biomass combustion about 5.0 % of the total. The uncertainty of the values can be few percentage units. According to the present measurements the share of natural emissions and the fertilizers of the total N 2 O emissions is up to 60 %. The formation of nitrous oxide has been studied widely in various countries in the world. In Finland nitrous oxide has been studied in the national LIEKKI research programme. As a result of the research carried out in the programme it has been possible to reduce the formation of N 2 O by using appropriate catalysts and combustion technologies. Nitrous oxide is formed e.g. in fluidized-bed combustion of nitrogen containing fuels. The combustion temperature of other combustion methods is so high that the gas disintegrates in the furnace. By the new methods the nitrous oxide emissions of the fluidized-bed combustion has been possible to reduce from 100-200 ppm to the level less than 50 ppm of the flue gas volume. The Japanese research has shown that the nitrous oxide emissions of bubbling beds vary in between 58 - 103 ppm, but when combusting paper the emissions are 6 - 29 ppm. The corresponding value of circulating fluidized beds is 40 - 153 ppm

Insight into the effects of biochar on manure composting: evidence supporting the relationship between N2O emission and denitrifying community.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cheng; Lu, Haohao; Dong, Da; Deng, Hui; Strong, P J; Wang, Hailong; Wu, Weixiang

2013-07-02

Although nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from composting contribute to the accelerated greenhouse effect, it is difficult to implement practical methods to mitigate these emissions. In this study, the effects of biochar amendment during pig manure composting were investigated to evaluate the inter-relationships between N2O emission and the abundance of denitrifying bacteria. Analytical results from two pilot composting treatments with (PWSB, pig manure + wood chips + sawdust + biochar) or without (PWS, pig manure + wood chips + sawdust) biochar (3% w/w) demonstrated that biochar amendment not only lowered NO2(-)-N concentrations but also lowered the total N2O emissions from pig manure composting, especially during the later stages. Quantification of functional genes involved in denitrification and Spearman rank correlations matrix revealed that the N2O emission rates correlated with the abundance of nosZ, nirK, and nirS genes. Biochar-amended pig manure had a higher pH and a lower moisture content. Biochar amendment altered the abundance of denitrifying bacteria significantly; less N2O-producing and more N2O-consuming bacteria were present in the PWSB, and this significantly lowered N2O emissions in the maturation phase. Together, the results demonstrate that biochar amendment could be a novel greenhouse gas mitigation strategy during pig manure composting.

Estimation of nocturnal CO2 and N2O soil emissions from changes in surface boundary layer mass storage

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Richard H.; Omonode, Rex A.

2018-04-01

Annual budgets of greenhouse and other trace gases require knowledge of the emissions throughout the year. Unfortunately, emissions into the surface boundary layer during stable, calm nocturnal periods are not measurable using most micrometeorological methods due to non-stationarity and uncoupled flow. However, during nocturnal periods with very light winds, carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) frequently accumulate near the surface and this mass accumulation can be used to determine emissions. Gas concentrations were measured at four heights (one within and three above canopy) and turbulence was measured at three heights above a mature 2.5 m maize canopy from 23 July to 10 September 2015. Nocturnal CO2 and N2O fluxes from the canopy were determined using the accumulation of mass within a 6.3 m control volume and out the top of the control volume within the nocturnal surface boundary layer. Diffusive fluxes were estimated by flux gradient method. The total accumulative and diffusive fluxes during near-calm nights (friction velocities CO2 and 0.53 nmol m-2 s-1 N2O. Fluxes were also measured using chambers. Daily mean CO2 fluxes determined by the accumulation method were 90 to 130 % of those determined using soil chambers. Daily mean N2O fluxes determined by the accumulation method were 60 to 80 % of that determined using soil chambers. The better signal-to-noise ratios of the chamber method for CO2 over N2O, non-stationary flow, assumed Schmidt numbers, and anemometer tilt were likely contributing reasons for the differences in chambers versus accumulated nocturnal mass flux estimates. Near-surface N2O accumulative flux measurements in more homogeneous regions and with greater depth are needed to confirm the conclusion that mass accumulation can be effectively used to estimate soil emissions during nearly calm nights.

Inhibition effect of zinc in wastewater on the N2O emission from coastal loam soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yan; Ou, Danyun; Chen, Shunyang; Chen, Bin; Liu, Wenhua; Bai, Renao; Chen, Guangcheng

2017-03-15

The effects of zinc (Zn) on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes from coastal loam soil and the abundances of soil nitrifier and denitrifier were studied in a tidal microcosm receiving livestock wastewater with different Zn levels. Soil N 2 O emission significantly increased due to discharge of wastewater rich in ammonia (NH 4 + -N) while the continuous measurements of gas flux showed a durative reduction in N 2 O flux by high Zn input (40mgL -1 ) during the low tide period. Soil inorganic nitrogen concentrations increased at the end of the experiment and even more soil NH 4 + -N was measured in the high-Zn-level treatment, indicating an inhibition of ammonia oxidation by Zn input. Quantitative PCR of soil amoA, narG and nirK genes encoding ammonia monooxygenase, nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, respectively, showed that the microbial abundances involved in these metabolisms were neither affected by wastewater discharge nor Zn contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil water content drives spatiotemporal patterns of CO2 and N2O emissions from a Mediterranean riparian forest soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Poblador

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Riparian zones play a fundamental role in regulating the amount of carbon (C and nitrogen (N that is exported from catchments. However, C and N removal via soil gaseous pathways can influence local budgets of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions and contribute to climate change. Over a year, we quantified soil effluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2 and nitrous oxide (N2O from a Mediterranean riparian forest in order to understand the role of these ecosystems on catchment GHG emissions. In addition, we evaluated the main soil microbial processes that produce GHG (mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification and how changes in soil properties can modify the GHG production over time and space. Riparian soils emitted larger amounts of CO2 (1.2–10 g C m−2 d−1 than N2O (0.001–0.2 mg N m−2 d−1 to the atmosphere attributed to high respiration and low denitrification rates. Both CO2 and N2O emissions showed a marked (but antagonistic spatial gradient as a result of variations in soil water content across the riparian zone. Deep groundwater tables fueled large soil CO2 effluxes near the hillslope, while N2O emissions were higher in the wet zones adjacent to the stream channel. However, both CO2 and N2O emissions peaked after spring rewetting events, when optimal conditions of soil water content, temperature, and N availability favor microbial respiration, nitrification, and denitrification. Overall, our results highlight the role of water availability on riparian soil biogeochemistry and GHG emissions and suggest that climate change alterations in hydrologic regimes can affect the microbial processes that produce GHG as well as the contribution of these systems to regional and global biogeochemical cycles.

TransCom N2O model inter-comparison - Part 2 : Atmospheric inversion estimates of N2O emissions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thompson, R. L.; Ishijima, K.; Saikawa, E.; Corazza, M.; Karstens, U.; Patra, P. K.; Bergamaschi, P.; Chevallier, F.; Dlugokencky, E.; Prinn, R. G.; Weiss, R. F.; O'Doherty, S.; Fraser, P. J.; Steele, L. P.; Krummel, P. B.; Vermeulen, A.; Tohjima, Y.; Jordan, A.; Haszpra, L.; Steinbacher, M.; Van Der Laan, S.; Aalto, T.; Meinhardt, F.; Popa, Maria Elena|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/375806407; Moncrieff, J.; Bousquet, P.

2014-01-01

This study examines N2O emission estimates from five different atmospheric inversion frameworks based on chemistry transport models (CTMs). The five frameworks differ in the choice of CTM, meteorological data, prior uncertainties and inversion method but use the same prior emissions and observation

Total hemispherical emissivity of pre-oxidized and un-oxidized Zr-2.5Nb pressure-tube materials at 600 {sup o}C to 1000 {sup o}C under vacuum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fong, R.W.L.; Paine, M.; Nitheanandan, T., E-mail: randy.fong@cnl.ca [Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada)

2016-06-15

The emissivity of pre-oxidized and un-oxidized pressure-tube specimens has been measured at high temperatures under vacuum. The emissivity values of un-oxidized tube specimens decreased only slightly from 0.34 at 600 {sup o}C to 0.30 at 800 {sup o}C and changed gradually to 0.25 at 1000 {sup o}C. In comparison, the emissivity of pre-oxidized pressure-tube specimens decreased drastically from 0.70 at 600 {sup o}C to 0.35 at 800 {sup o}C, and gradually decreased to 0.25 at 1000 {sup o}C. The oxide layer of the pre-oxidized tube specimens dissolved into the metal matrix when heated to 700 {sup o}C and higher. Using these results, 2 linear correlations were obtained for emissivity with the oxide thickness measured by scanning electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis. (author)

Co-composting of municipal solid waste mixed with matured sewage sludge: The relationship between N2O emissions and denitrifying gene abundance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bian, Rongxing; Sun, Yingjie; Li, Weihua; Ma, Qiang; Chai, Xiaoli

2017-12-01

Aerobic composting is an alternative measure to the disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW). However, it produces nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a highly potent greenhouse via microbial nitrification and denitrification. In this study, the effects of matured sewage sludge (MSS) amendment on N 2 O emissions and the inter-relationships between N 2 O emissions and the abundance of denitrifying bacteria were investigated during aerobic composting of MSW. The results demonstrated that MSW composting with MSS amendments (C1, and C2, with a MSW to MSS ratio of 2:1 and 4:1, (v/v), respectively) significantly increased N 2 O emissions during the initial stage, yet contributed to the mitigation of N 2 O emissions during the cooling and maturation stage. MSS amended composting emitted a total of 18.4%-25.7% less N 2 O than the control treatment without MSS amendment (CK). Matured sewage sludge amendment also significantly altered the abundance of denitrifying bacteria. The quantification of denitrifying functional genes revealed that the N 2 O emission rate had a significant positive correlation with the abundance of the nirS, nirK genes in both treatments with MSS amendment. The nosZ/(nirS + nirK) ratio could be a good indicator for predicting N 2 O emissions. The higher N 2 O emission rate during the initial stage of composting mixed with MSS was characterized by lower nosZ/(nirS + nirK) ratios, compared to CK treatment. Higher ratios of nosZ/(nirS + nirK) were measured during the cooling and maturation stage in treatments with MSS which resulted in a reduction of the N 2 O emissions. These results demonstrated that MSS amendment could be a valid strategy for mitigating N 2 O emissions during MSW composting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Greenhouse Gas (CO2 AND N2O Emissions from Soils: A Review Emisión de Gases invernadero (CO2 y N2O desde Suelos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Muñoz

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In agricultural activities, the main greenhouse gases (GHG are those related to C and N global cycles. The impact of agriculture on GHG emissions has become a key issue, especially when considering that natural C and N cycles are influenced by agricultural development. This review focuses on CO2 and N2O soil emissions in terrestrial ecosystems, with emphasis in Chilean and similar agro-ecosystems around the world. The influence of land use and crop management practices on CO2 and N2O emissions is analyzed; some mitigation measures to reduce such emissions are also discussed here. More knowledge on the biological processes that promote of GHG emissions from soil will allow creating opportunities for agricultural development under friendly-environmental conditions, where soil can act as a reservoir and/or emitter of GHG, depending on the balance of inputs and outputs.En actividades agrícolas los principales gases de efecto invernadero (GHG son los relacionados con los ciclos globales de C y N. El impacto de la agricultura sobre las emisiones GHG se ha convertido en una cuestión clave, especialmente si se considera que los ciclos naturales C y N se ven influidos por el desarrollo agrícola. Esta revisión se centra en emisiones de CO2 y N2O del suelo en los ecosistemas terrestres, con énfasis en agro-ecosistemas de Chile y similares alrededor del mundo. Se analiza la influencia del uso del suelo y las prácticas de manejo del cultivo sobre emisiones de CO2 y N2O, se discuten medidas de mitigación para reducir estas emisiones. Un mayor conocimiento sobre los procesos biológicos que promueven las emisiones GHG del suelo permitirá la creación de oportunidades para el desarrollo agrícola en condiciones ambientalmente amigables, donde el suelo puede actuar como un reservorio y/o emisor de GHG, dependiendo del balance de entradas y salidas.

Mitigating climate change through the understanding of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) consumption processes in peat lands

Science.gov (United States)

Akrami, N.; Barker, X. Z.; Horwath, W. R.

2017-12-01

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) with global warming potential of 298 over a 100-year horizon is one of the most potent green house gases. In the United States, agriculture share to N2O emissions is over 70%. Peat lands, however, are being considered as both sources and sinks of greenhouse gases. N2O emissions are a product of both production and consumption processes. However, there is still a lack of understanding of N2O consumption processes in soils. In this work, the potential of re-wetted peat lands planted to rice in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, to act as a potential sink for N2O is being evaluated. Four peat land soils with 1%, 5%, 11% and 23% of organic carbon have been anaerobically incubated with different water contents (15%, 30%, 50%, 75% and 100% of their water holding capacity). 15N-N2O gas has been injected to the headspace of experiment jars and the production and consumption rate of 15N-N2O, 15N-N2 and production rate of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) along with dissolved Nitrate (NO3-), Nitrite (NO2-), Ammonium (NH4+), Iron (II) and Iron (III) concentration has been quantified. Our results show promising N2O consumption rates under high carbon content and relatively high water content treatments. This research introduces organic carbon and water content as two major criteria in N2O consumption processes in peat lands that make it a potential hotspot for climate changes mitigation through adopting effective management practices to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

N2O emission from organic barley cultivation as affected by green manure management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Dörsch

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Legumes are an important source of nitrogen in stockless organic cereal production. However, substantial amounts of N can be lost from legume-grass leys prior to or after incorporation as green manure (GM. Here we report N2O emissions from a field experiment in SE Norway exploring different green manure management strategies: mulching versus removal of grass-clover herbage during a whole growing season and return as biogas residue to a subsequent barley crop. Grass-clover ley had small but significantly higher N2O emissions as compared with a non-fertilised cereal reference during the year of green manure (GM production in 2009. Mulching of herbage induced significantly more N2O emission (+0.37 kg N2O-N ha−1 throughout the growing season than removing herbage. In spring 2010, all plots were ploughed (with and without GM and sown with barley, resulting in generally higher N2O emissions than during the previous year. Application of biogas residue (60 kg NH4+-N + 50 kg organic N ha−1 before sowing did not increase emissions neither when applied to previous ley plots nor when applied to previously unfertilised cereal plots. Ley management (mulching vs. removing biomass in 2009 had no effect on N2O emissions during barley production in 2010. In general, GM ley (mulched or harvested increased N2O emissions relative to a cereal reference with low mineral N fertilisation (80 kg N ha−1. Based on measurements covering the growing season 2010, organic cereal production emitted 95 g N2O-N kg−1 N yield in barley grain, which was substantially higher than in the cereal reference treatment with 80 kg mineral N fertilisation (47 g N2O-N kg−1 N yield in barley grain.

Experimental warming-driven soil drying reduced N2O emissions from fertilized crop rotations of winter wheat-soybean/fallow, 2009-2014

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, L; Hu, C; Yang, P

2016-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from agricultural soils play an important role in the global greenhouse gas budget. However, the response of N2O emissions from nitrogen fertilized agricultural soils to climate warming is not yet well understood. A field experiment with simulated warming (T) using...... infrared heaters and its control (C) combined with a nitrogen (N1) fertilization treatment (315 kg N ha−1 y−1) and no nitrogen treatment (N0) was conducted over five years at an agricultural research station in the North China Plain in a winter wheat–soybean double cropping system. N2O fluxes were measured...

Estimating North American N2O emissions and the N fertilizer yield fraction using the Carbon Tracker-Lagrange regional inversion framework

Science.gov (United States)

Nevison, C. D.; Andrews, A. E.; Thoning, K. W.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Sweeney, C.; Saikawa, E.; Miller, S. M.; Benmergui, J. S.; Fischer, M. L.

2017-12-01

North American nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of 1.5 ± 0.2 Tg N/yr over 2008-2013 are estimated using the Carbon Tracker-Lagrange (CT-L) regional inversion framework. The estimated N2O emissions are largely consistent with the EDGAR global inventory and with the results of global atmospheric inversions, but offer more spatial and temporal detail and improved uncertainty quantification over North America. Emissions are strongest from the Midwestern corn/soybean belt, which accounts for about one fourth of the total North American N2O source. The emissions are maximum in spring/early summer, consistent with a nitrogen fertilizer-driven source, but also show a late winter spike suggestive of freeze-thaw effects. Interannual variability in emissions across the primary months of fertilizer application is positively correlated to mean soil moisture and precipitation. The inversion results, in combination with gridded N fertilizer datasets, are used to estimate the fraction of synthetic N fertilizer that is released as N2O. The estimated N2O flux from the Midwestern corn/soybean belt and the more northerly U.S./Canadian wheat belt corresponds to 3.6-4.5% and 1.4-3.5%, respectively, of total synthetic + organic N fertilizer applied to those regions. Consideration of additional N inputs from soybean N2 fixation reduces the N2O yield from the Midwestern corn/soybean belt to 2-2.6% of total N inputs. Figure 1. Posterior N2O flux integrated over the central Midwestern Corn/Soybean belt (38° to 43°N, 102° to 80°W, in grids where 5% or more of land area was planted in corn and/or soybean). Cases 1 (red) and 2 (blue) are defined based on different covariance matrix parameters, representing alternative scenarios of tighter prior/looser model-data mismatch and looser prior/tighter model-data mismatch. Both cases use a standard prior derived from a coarser resolution global inversion. Triangles show the approximate day when soil temperature climbs above 0°C and drops below 10�

Photocatalytic Decomposition of N2O on Ag-TiO2

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kočí, K.; Krejčíková, Simona; Šolcová, Olga; Obalová, L.

2012-01-01

Roč. 191, č. 1 (2012), s. 134-137 ISSN 0920-5861. [International Symposium on Nitrogen Oxides Emission Abatement. Zakopane, 04.09.2011-07.09.2011] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA104/09/0694 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : photocatalytic decomposition * N2O * Ag doping * TiO2 Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 2.980, year: 2012

N2O emission hotspots at different spatial scales and governing factors for small scale hotspots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuvel, R.N. van den; Hefting, M.M.; Tan, N.C.G.; Jetten, M.S.M.; Verhoeven, J.T.A.

2009-01-01

Chronically nitrate-loaded riparian buffer zones show high N 2 O emissions. Often, a large part of the N 2 O is emitted from small surface areas, resulting in high spatial variability in these buffer zones. These small surface areas with high N 2 O emissions (hotspots) need to be investigated to generate knowledge on the factors governing N 2 O emissions. In this study the N 2 O emission variability was investigated at different spatial scales. Therefore N 2 O emissions from three 32 m 2 grids were determined in summer and winter. Spatial variation and total emission were determined on three different scales (0.3 m 2 , 0.018 m 2 and 0.0013 m 2 ) at plots with different levels of N 2 O emissions. Spatial variation was high at all scales determined and highest at the smallest scale. To test possible factors inducing small scale hotspots, soil samples were collected for slurry incubation to determine responses to increased electron donor/acceptor availability. Acetate addition did increase N 2 O production, but nitrate addition failed to increase total denitrification or net N 2 O production. N 2 O production was similar in all soil slurries, independent of their origin from high or low emission soils, indicating that environmental conditions (including physical factors like gas diffusion) rather than microbial community composition governed N 2 O emission rates

Seasonal CH4 and N2O emissions and plant growth characteristics of several cultivars in direct seeded rice systems

Science.gov (United States)

Simmonds, M.; Anders, M. M.; Adviento-Borbe, M. A.; Van Kessel, C.; McClung, A.; Linquist, B.

2014-12-01

Understanding cultivar effects on field greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice (Oryza sativa L.) systems is needed to improve the accuracy of predictive models used for estimating GHG emissions, and to determine to what extent choice of cultivar may have on GHG mitigation. We compared CH4 and N2O emissions, global warming potential (GWP = N2O + CH4), yield-scaled GWP (GWPY = GWP Mg-1 grain), and plant growth characteristics of 8 cultivars within 4 study sites in California and Arkansas. Seasonal CH4 emissions differed between cultivars by a factor of 2.1 and 1.3 at one California and one Arkansas site, respectively. Nitrous oxide emissions were negligible, comprised food security.

Structure reactivity relationships during N2O hydrogenation over Au-Ag alloys: A study by field emission techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Luc; Barroo, Cédric; Gilis, Natalia; Lambeets, Sten V.; Genty, Eric; Visart de Bocarmé, Thierry

2018-03-01

To make available atomic oxygen at the surface of a catalyst is the key step for oxidation reactions on Au-based catalysts. In this context, Au-Ag alloys catalysts exhibit promising properties for selective oxidation reactions of alcohols: low temperature activity and high selectivity. The presence of O(ads) and its effects on the catalytic reactivity is studied via the N2O dissociative adsorption and subsequent hydrogenation. Field emission techniques are particularly suited to study this reaction: Field Ion Microscopy (FIM) and Field Emission Microscopy (FEM) enable to image the extremity of sharp metallic tips, the size and morphology of which are close to those of one single catalytic particle. The reaction dynamics is studied in the 300-320 K temperature range and at a pressure of 3.5 × 10-3 Pa. The main results are a strong structure/reactivity relationship during N2O + H2 reaction over Au-8.8 at.%Ag model catalysts. Comparison of high-resolution FIM images of the clean sample and FEM images during reaction shows a sensitivity of the reaction to the local structure of the facets, independently of the used partial pressures of both N2O and H2. This suggests a localised dissociative adsorption step for N2O and H2 with the formation of a reactive interface around the {210} facets.

Contribution of vehicle exhaust to the global N2O budget

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, K.H.; Loerzer, J.C.; Kurtenbach, R.; Wiesen, P.; Jensen, T.E.; Wallington, T.J.

2000-01-01

Assessment of the impact of vehicle emissions on the global environment requires accurate data concerning nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. We report herein 'real world' N 2 O emissions from road vehicles in a tunnel in Wuppertal, Germany, together with 'laboratory' emission measurements conducted at the Ford Motor Company using a chassis dynamometer with a standard driving cycle for 26 different cars and trucks. Consistent results were obtained from both approaches suggesting that a good approximation of the average emission factor (g N 2 O/g CO 2 )=(4±2) x 10 -5 . This corresponds to an emission rate of 11-5 mg N 2 O/km for vehicles with fuel economies of 12-6 1/100 km (20-40 miles/US gallon). N 2 O emissions from vehicles have a global warming impact, which is 1-2% of that of the CO 2 emissions from vehicles. We estimate an annual emission of (0.12±0.06) Tg yr -1 of N 2 O (0.08±0.04 Tg N yr -1 ) from the global vehicle fleet which represents 1-4% of the atmospheric growth rate of this species. These results update and supersede our previous study of N 2 O emissions from vehicles. (author)

N 2 O Emissions and Inorganic N Release Following Incorporation ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

West African Journal of Applied Ecology ... The results from the study demonstrated that whilst there is the potential for N2O emission to be controlled through varying ratios of residue:fertiliser input, the magnitude and direction of interactions between these N sources vary between different species as a result of their ...

Simulation of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions from tropical primary forests in the Costa Rican Atlantic Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Shuguanga Liu; William A. Reiners; Michael Keller; Davis S. Schimel

2000-01-01

Nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) are important atmospheric trace gases participating in the regulation of global climate and environment. Predictive models on the emissions of N2O and NO emissions from soil into the atmosphere are required. We modified the CENTURY model (Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 51 (1987) 1173) to simulate the emissions of N2O and NO from...

Nitrous oxide emissions affected by biochar and nitrogen stabilizers

Science.gov (United States)

Both biochar and N fertilizer stabilizers (N transformation inhibitors) are potential strategies to reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from fertilization, but the mechanisms and/or N transformation processes affecting the N dynamics are not fully understood. This research investigated N2O emission...

[Effects of different fertilization measures on N2O emission in oil sunflower field in irrigation area of upper Yellow River].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhe; Chen, Yuan-yuan; Gao, Ji; Liu, Ru-liang; Yang, Zheng-li; Zhang, Ai-ping

2015-01-01

Agricultural soil has become the largest anthropogenic source of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N20). To estimate the impacts of long-term combined application of organic and inorganic fertilizers on N20 emission in a typical winter wheat-oil sunflower cropping system in the Ningxia irrigation area, we measured N20 fluxes using the static opaque chamber-gas chromatograph method and monitored the seasonal dynamics of related factors. Our results showed that nitrogen addition in the previous crop field significantly stimulated N2O emissions during the following oil-sunflower cultivation, and the mean fluxes of N300-OM, N240-OM1/2, N300 and N240 were (34.16 ± 9.72), (39.69 ±10.70), (27.75 ±9.57) and (26.30 ± 8.52) µg . m-2 . h-1, respectively, which were 4.09, 4.75, 3.32 and 3.15 times of the control groups. The total cumulative N2O emissions of fertilizer treatments in growing season was as high as 796.7 to 1242.5 g . hm-2, which was 2.99 to 4.67 times of the control groups. During the growing season, the rates of N2O emission in each month organic and inorganic fertlizers combined treatments were similar at high levels. N2O emission in chemical fertilizer treatments gradually decreased, and the main period of N2O emission occurred at the beginning of growing season. Taking July for example, N2O emission accounted for 41.3% to 41. 8% of total cumulative amount. The amounts of N20 emission under organic and inorganic fertilizers combined treatments were significantly higher than under chemical fertilizer treatments. The N2O emissions were not significantly different between conventional and optimized applications of nitrogen fertilizer under the same fertilizing method, either between N300-OM and N240-OM1/2, or between N300 and N240. On account of the drought, N2O emission in each treatment was mainly affected by soil moisture. N2O emission had a significant positive correlation with soil ammonium nitrogen content under combined applications of organic and inorganic

No effect of cropping system on the greenhouse gas N2O

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carter, Mette Sustmann; Chirinda, N.

2009-01-01

Organic farming is comparable to conventional in terms of field emissions of the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Our study points to the need for increased yields in organic farming as measure to reduced emissions per unit of produce.......Organic farming is comparable to conventional in terms of field emissions of the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Our study points to the need for increased yields in organic farming as measure to reduced emissions per unit of produce....

Effect of biochar addition on short-term N2O and CO2 emissions during repeated drying and wetting of an anthropogenic alluvial soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fang; Lee, Xinqing; Theng, Benny K G; Wang, Bing; Cheng, Jianzhong; Wang, Qian

2017-06-01

Agricultural soils are an important source of greenhouse gases (GHG). Biochar application to such soils has the potential of mitigating global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Under irrigation, the topsoils in arid regions experience repeated drying and wetting during the crop growing season. Biochar incorporation into these soils would change the soil microbial environment and hence affect GHG emissions. Little information, however, is available regarding the effect of biochar addition on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from agricultural soils undergoing repeated drying and wetting. Here, we report the results of a 49-day aerobic incubation experiment, incorporating biochar into an anthropogenic alluvial soil in an arid region of Xinjiang Province, China, and measuring CO 2 and N 2 O emissions. Under both drying-wetting and constantly moist conditions, biochar amendment significantly increased cumulative CO 2 emission. At the same time, there was a significant reduction (up to ~20 %) in cumulative N 2 O emission, indicating that the addition of biochar to irrigated agricultural soils may effectively slow down global warming in arid regions of China.

Upland Trees Contribute to Exchange of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) in Forest Ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, H.; Thompson, R.; Canadell, J.; Winiwarter, W.; Machacova, K.; Maier, M.; Halmeenmäki, E.; Svobodova, K.; Lang, F.; Pihlatie, M.; Urban, O.

2017-12-01

The increase in atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) concentration contributes to the acceleration of the greenhouse effect. However, the role of trees in the N2O exchange of forest ecosystems is still an open question. While the soils of temperate and boreal forests were shown to be a natural source of N2O, trees have been so far overlooked in the forest N2O inventories. We determined N2O fluxes in common tree species of boreal and temperate forests: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies), downy and silver birch (Betula pubescens, B. pendula), and European beech (Fagus sylvatica). We investigated (1) whether these tree species exchange N2O with the atmosphere under natural field conditions, (2) how the tree N2O fluxes contribute to the forest N2O balance, and (3) whether these fluxes show seasonal dynamics. The studies were performed in a boreal forest (SMEAR II station, Finland; June 2014 - May 2015) and two temperate mountain forests (White Carpathians, Czech Republic; Black Forest, Germany; June and July 2015). Fluxes of N2O in mature tree stems and forest floor were measured using static chamber systems followed by chromatographic and photo-acoustic analyses of N2O concentration changes. Pine, spruce and birch trees were identified as net annual N2O sources. Spruce was found the strongest emitter (0.27 mg ha-1 h-1) amounting thus up to 2.5% of forest floor N2O emissions. All tree species showed a substantial seasonality in stem N2O flux that was related to their physiological activity and climatic variables. In contrast, stems of beech trees growing at soils consuming N2O may act as a substantial sink of N2O from the atmosphere. Consistent N2O consumption by tree stems ranging between -12.1 and -35.2 mg ha-1 h-1 and contributing by up to 3.4% to the forest floor N2O uptake is a novel finding in contrast to current studies presenting trees as N2O emitters. To understand these fluxes, N2O exchange of photoautotrophic organisms associated with

Hotspots of soil N2O emission enhanced through water absorption by plant residue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kravchenko, A.N.; Toosi, E.R.; Guber, A.K.; Ostrom, N.E.; Yu, J.; Azeem, K.; Rivers, M.L.; Robertson , G.P. (UAF Pakistan); (UC); (Hubei); (MSU)

2017-06-05

N2O is a highly potent greenhouse gas and arable soils represent its major anthropogenic source. Field-scale assessments and predictions of soil N2O emission remain uncertain and imprecise due to the episodic and microscale nature of microbial N2O production, most of which occurs within very small discrete soil volumes. Such hotspots of N2O production are often associated with decomposing plant residue. Here we quantify physical and hydrological soil characteristics that lead to strikingly accelerated N2O emissions in plant residue-induced hotspots. Results reveal a mechanism for microscale N2O emissions: water absorption by plant residue that creates unique micro-environmental conditions, markedly different from those of the bulk soil. Moisture levels within plant residue exceeded those of bulk soil by 4–10-fold and led to accelerated N2O production via microbial denitrification. The presence of large (Ø >35 μm) pores was a prerequisite for maximized hotspot N2O production and for subsequent diffusion to the atmosphere. Understanding and modelling hotspot microscale physical and hydrologic characteristics is a promising route to predict N2O emissions and thus to develop effective mitigation strategies and estimate global fluxes in a changing environment.

Automated online measurement of N2, N2O, NO, CO2, and CH4 emissions based on a gas-flow-soil-core technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Tingting; Wang, Rui; Zheng, Xunhua; Sun, Yang; Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus; Chen, Nuo

2013-11-01

The gas-flow-soil-core (GFSC) technique allows to directly measure emission rates of denitrification gases of incubated soil cores. However, the technique was still suffering some drawbacks such as inadequate accuracy due to asynchronous detection of dinitrogen (N2) and other gases and low measurement frequency. Furthermore, its application was limited due to intensive manual operation. To overcome these drawbacks, we updated the GFSC system as described by Wang et al. (2011) by (a) using both a chemiluminescent detector and a gas chromatograph detector to measure nitric oxide (NO), (b) synchronizing the measurements of N2, NO, nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), and (c) fully automating the sampling/analysis of all the gases. These technical modifications significantly reduced labor demands by at least a factor of two, increased the measurement frequency from 3 to 6 times per day and resulted in remarkable improvements in measurement accuracy (with detection limits of 0.5, 0.01, 0.05, 2.3 and 0.2μgN or Ch(-1)kg(-1)ds, or 17, 0.3, 1.8, 82, and 6μgN or Cm(-2)h(-1), for N2, N2O, NO, CO2, and CH4, respectively). In some circumstances, the modified system measured significantly more N2 and CO2 and less N2O and NO because of the enhanced measurement frequency. The modified system distinguished the differences in emissions of the denitrification gases and CO2 due to a 20% change in initial carbon supplies. It also remarkably recovered approximately 90% of consumed nitrate during incubation. These performances validate the technical improvement, and indicate that the improved GFSC system may provide a powerful research tool for obtaining deeper insights into the processes of soil carbon and nitrogen transformation during denitrification. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Compilation of a global N{sub 2}O emission inventory for tropical rainforest soils using a detailed biogeochemical model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werner, C.

2007-09-15

Nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) is a potent trace gas contributing to approximately 6% to the observed anthropogenic global warming. Soils have been identified to be the major source of atmospheric N{sub 2}O and tropical rainforest soils are thought to account for the largest part. Furthermore, various studies have shown that the magnitude of N{sub 2}O emissions from tropical rainforest soil is highly variable on spatial and temporal scales. Detailed, process-based models coupled to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are considered promising tools for the calculation of N{sub 2}O emission inventories. This methodology explicitly accounts for the governing microbial processes as well as the environmental controls. Moreover, mechanistic biogeochemical models operating in daily time-steps (e.g. ForestDNDC-tropica) have been shown to capture the observed intra- and inter-annual variations of N{sub 2}O emissions. However, detailed N{sub 2}O emission datasets are required for model calibration and testing, but are currently few in numbers. In this study an automated measurement system was used to derive detailed datasets of N{sub 2}O, methane (CH{sub 4}) and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) soil-atmosphere exchange and important environmental parameters from tropical rainforest soils in Kenya and Southwest China. Distinct differences were identified in the magnitude of the C and N soil-atmosphere exchange at the investigated sites and forest types. However, common features such as N{sub 2}O pulse emissions after dry season or the pronounced soil moisture dependency of N{sub 2}O emissions were observed at both sites. The derived datasets are unique for these tropical regions as so far no information about the source strength of these regions was available and, for the first time, the N{sub 2}O, CH{sub 4} and CO{sub 2} soil-atmosphere exchange was recorded in sub-daily resolution. The datasets were utilized in conjunction with available high-resolution datasets from Australian

The emissions and soil concentrations of N2O and CH4 from natural soil temperature gradients in a volcanic area in southwest Iceland

Science.gov (United States)

Maljanen, Marja; Yli-Moijala, Heli; Leblans, Niki I. W.; De Boeck, Hans J.; Bjarnadóttir, Brynhildur; Sigurdsson, Bjarni D.

2016-04-01

We studied nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions along three natural geothermal soil temperature (Ts) gradients in a volcanic area in southwest Iceland. Two of the gradients (on a grassland and a forest site, respectively) were recently formed (in May 2008). The third gradient, a grassland site, had been subjected to long-term soil warming (over 30 years, and probably centuries). Nitrous oxide and methane emissions were measured along the temperature gradients using the static chamber method and also soil gas concentrations were studied. With a moderate soil temperature increase (up to +5 °C) there were no significant increase in gas flux rates in any of the sites but an increase of 20 to 45 °C induced an increase in both N2O and CH4 emissions. The measured N2O emissions (up to 2600 μg N2O m-2 h-1) from the warmest plots were about two magnitudes higher compared with the coolest plots (less than 20 μg N2O m-2 h-1). While a net uptake of CH4 was measured in the coolest plots (up to -0.15 mg CH4 m-2 h-1), a net emission of CH4 was measured from the warmest plots (up to 1.3 mg CH4 m-2 h-1). Soil CH4 concentrations decreased first with a moderate (up to +5 °C) increase in Ts, but above that threshold increased significantly. The soil N2O concentration at depths from 5 to 20 cm increased with increasing Ts, indicating enhanced N-turnover. Further, there was a clear decrease in soil organic matter (SOM), C- and N concentration with increasing Ts at all sites. One should note, however, that a part of the N2O emitted from the warmest plots may be partly geothermally derived, as was revealed by 15N2O isotope studies. These natural Ts gradients show that the emission of N2O and CH4 can increase significantly when Ts increases considerably. This implies that these geothermally active sites can act as local hot spots for CH4 and N2O emissions.

Biochar type and factors affecting N transformation, ammonia volatilization, and nitrous oxide emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Soil amendment with biochar has shown the potential to improve nitrogen (N) availability for plant uptake and reduce environmental losses via ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. There are still many unknowns on how biochar type and soil conditions affect N dynamics and processes associa...

Emission behaviors of nitrous oxide from automobiles. 4th Report. Aging effect of three way catalyst on N2O mass emissions; Jidosha kara haishutsusareru asanka chisso (N2O) no haishutsu kyodo ni kansuru kenkyu. 4. Sangen shokubai no rekka ga N2O haishutsuryo ni oyobosu eikyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koike, N; Suzuki, H; Odaka, M [Traffic Safety and Nuisance Research Institute, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

Several kind of three way catalysts with different metal compositions have been developed for trial and their N2O formation behaviors before and after the durability tests have been observed. Then by comparing the N2O formation behavior between new and durability tested catalysts, N2O increase mechanism with aging has been experimentally analyzed. As results, A catalyst temperature at peak N2O formation will sift to higher side by the aging and enters in the range that is the higher percentage in use during test cycle driving. Then this is the main cause of increase in total N2O emission. 4 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Improved optical response and photocatalysis for N-doped titanium oxide (TiO2) films prepared by oxidation of TiN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, L.; Li, J.F.; Feng, J.Y.; Sun, W.; Mao, Z.Q.