European sources of halocarbons and nitrous oxide: Update 1986

Semi-continuous measurements of CFCl₃, CF₂Cl₂, CCl₄, CH₃CCl₃ and N₂O were made at Adrigole, Ireland as part of the Atmospheric Lifetime Experiment (ALE). Clean, baseline air from the Atlantic Ocean was measured approximately 70% of the time; pollution events from Europe, for the remainder. The two final years of ALE data from Adrogole give a five-year record from July 1978 to June 1983. This paper extends previous work on the relative enhancements of trace gases during pollution episodes and presents (1) unambiguous identification of elevated levels of N₂O concurrent with halocarbon pollution events, (2) detection of trends in emission of CH₃CCl₃, (3) discovery of seasonal variations in emission of CF₂Cl₂, CCl₄ and CH₃CCl₃, (4) characterization of typical summer and winter pollution episodes, and (5) identification of weather patterns over Europe that are associated with high concentrations of CFCs at Adrigole. Some of these results assume that CFCl₃ represents a uniform, well buffered source from the continent. The latter two results are particularly useful in the testing and calibration of three-dimensional chemical transport models. Observed enhancements are marginally consistent with estimates of halocarbon use by the chemical industry. The source of nitrous oxide correlated with halocarbons is 0.8 Tg(N)/yr from Europe alone and represents approximately 10% of the global stratospheric loss.     

Policy options to streamline the carbon market for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions

The majority of emissions of nitrous oxide – a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) – are from agricultural sources, particularly nitrogen fertilizer applications. A growing focus on these emission sources has led to the development in the United States of GHG offset protocols that could enable payment to farmers for reducing fertilizer use or implementing other nitrogen management strategies. Despite the development of several protocols, the current regional scope is narrow, adoption by farmers is low, and policy implementation of protocols has a significant time lag. Here we utilize existing research and policy structures to propose an ‘umbrella’ approach for nitrogen management GHG emissions protocols that has the potential to streamline the policy implementation and acceptance of such protocols. We suggest that the umbrella protocol could set forth standard definitions common across multiple protocol options, and then modules could be further developed as scientific evidence advances. Modules could be developed for specific crops, regions, and practices. We identify a policy process that could facilitate this development in concert with emerging scientific research and conclude by acknowledging potential benefits and limitations of the approach.

Key policy insights

• Agricultural greenhouse gas market options are growing, but are still underutilized

• Streamlining protocol development through an umbrella process could enable quicker development of protocols across new crops, regions, and practices

• Effective protocol development must not compromise best available science and should follow a rigorous pathway to ensure appropriate implementation

     

A Process-based Model of N2O Emission from a Rice-Winter Wheat Rotation Agro-Ecosystem： Structure, Validation and Sensitivity

In order to numerically simulate daily nitrous oxide(N2O) emission from a rice-winter wheat rotation cropping system,a process-based site model was developed(referred to as IAP-N-GAS) to track the movement and transformation of several forms of nitrogen in the agro-ecosystem,which is affected by climate,soil,crop growth and management practices.The simulation of daily N2O fluxes,along with key daily environmental variables,was validated with three-year observations conducted in East China.The validation dem...     

Field measurements of emission of nitric oxide from fertilized and unfertilized forest soils in Sweden

Application of nitrate fertilizers on two types of forest soils led to a marked increase in the NO emission rate indicating a large potential for NO production in these soils. The largest fluxes on the fertilized plots were up to 60 ng NO–N m^–2 s^–1. About 0.35% of the applied nitrogen was lost as NO within about 14 days after fertilization. The fluxes from the unfertilized forest soils were in the range 0.1 to 0.8 ng NO–N m^–2 s^–1 with a median value of 0.3 ng NO–N m^–2 s^–1. If this value, obtained during June and August to September, is representative for the growing season (150 days), it corresponds to an annual emission of 0.04 kg NO–N ha^–1. This is about 30% of the value obtained for an unfertilized agricultural soil. Because of the large areas occupied by forests in Sweden the flux of NO from forest soils represents a significant contribution to the total flux of NO from soils in Sweden.Earlier observations of equilibrium concentrations for NO have been verified. These were found to range from 0.2 to 2 ppbv for an unfertilized forest soil and up to 170 ppbv for a fertilized soil. At the rural site in Sweden where these measurements were performed the ambient concentrations where found to be less than this equilibrium concentration, and consequently there was generally a net emission of NO.There are still large uncertainties about the global flux of NO from soils. Using direct measurements on three different types of ecosystems and estimates based on a qualitative discussion for the remaining land areas, a global natural source for NO of the order of 1 Tg N a^–1 was obtained. If 0.35% of the total annual production of fertilizer nitrogen is lost as NO, fertilization of soils may contribute with 20% to the natural flux from soils.     

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from three paddy rice based cultivation systems in Southwest China

To understand methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from permanently flooded rice paddy fields and to develop mitigation options, a field experiment was conducted in situ for two years (from late 2002 to early 2005) in three rice-based cultivation systems, which are a permanently flooded rice field cultivated with a single time and followed by a non-rice season (PF), a rice-wheat rotation system (RW) and a rice-rapeseed rotation system (RR) in a hilly area in Southwest China. The results showed that the total CH4 emissions from PF were 646.3±52.1 and 215.0±45.4 kg CH4 hm-2 during the rice-growing period and non-rice period, respectively. Both values were much lower than many previous reports from similar regions in Southwest China. The CH4 emissions in the rice-growing season were more intensive in PF, as compared to RW and RR. Only 33% of the total annual CH4 emission in PF occurred in the non-rice season, though the duration of this season is two times longer than the rice season. The annual mean N2O flux in PF was 4.5±0.6 kg N2O hm-2 yr-1. The N2O emission in the rice-growing season was also more intensive than in the non-rice season, with only 16% of the total annual emission occurring in the non-rice season. The amounts of N2O emission in PF were ignorable compared to the CH4 emission in terms of the global warming potential (GWP). Changing PF to RW or RR not only eliminated CH4 emissions in the non-rice season, but also substantially reduced the CH4 emission during the following rice-growing period (ca. 58%, P<0.05). However, this change in cultivation system substantially increased N2O emissions, especially in the non-rice season, by a factor of 3.7 to 4.5. On the 100-year horizon, the integrated GWP of total annual CH4 and N2O emissions satisfies PF>>RR≈RW. The GWP of PF is higher than that of RW and RR by a factor of 2.6 and 2.7, respectively. Of the total GWP of CH4 and N2O emissions, CH4 emission contributed to 93%, 65% and 59% in PF, RW and RR, respectively. These results suggest that changing PF to RW and RR can substantially reduce not only CH4 emission but also the total GWP of the CH4 and N2O emissions.     

Emission of nitrous oxide from temperate forest soils into the atmosphere

N₂O emission rates were measured during a 13-month period from July 1981 till August 1982 with a frequency of once every two weeks at six different forest sites in the vicinity of Mainz, Germany. The sites were selected on the basis of soil types typical for many of the Central European forest ecosystems. The individual N₂O emission rates showed a high degree of temporal and spatial variabilities which, however, were not significantly correlated to variabilities in soil moisture content or soil temperatures. However, the N₂O emission rates followed a general seasonal trend with relatively high values during spring and fall. These maxima coincided with relatively high soil moisture contents, but may also have been influenced by the leaf fall in autumn. In addition, there was a brief episode of relatively high N₂O emission rates immediately after thawing of the winter snow. The individual N₂O emission rates measured during the whole season ranged between 1 and 92 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. The average values were in the range of 3–11 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1 and those with a 50% probability were in the range of 2–8 g N₂O-N m^–2 h^–1. The total source strength of temperate forest soils for atmospheric N₂O may be in the range of 0.7–1.5 Tg N yr^–1.     

A study to explain the emission of nitric oxide from a marsh soil

In the period 18–21 September 1989, soil NO emission was studied at Halvergate Marshes, Norfolk (U.K.) within the framework of the BIATEX-LOVENOX joint field experiment. Using a dynamic chamber technique, 186 measurements at four plots were performed showing a net NO flux of 7.2–14.6×10^–12 kgN m^–2 s^–1. Soil samples from a soil profile (1.0 m) at a representative site and from the uppermost layer (0.1 m) of each of the four plots were sent to the laboratory for (a) detailed physical and chemical soil analysis, (b) determination of NO production rates, NO uptake rate constants, and NO compensation mixing ratios, and (c) characterization of the microbial processes involved. A diffusive model (Galbally and Johansson, 1989) was applied to the laboratory results to infer NO fluxes of the individual soil samples. When we compared these fluxes with those measured in the field, we found agreement within a factor 2–4. Furthermore, laboratory studies showed, that NO was produced and consumed only in the upper soil layer (0–0.1 m depth) and that the NO production and consumption activities observed in the Halvergate marsh soil were most probably due to the anaerobic metabolism of denitrifying bacteria operating in anaerobic microniches within the generally aerobic soil.     

Mitigation options for methane, nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions from agricultural ecosystems

1.IntroductionNitrousoxide(N,O)andmethane(CH.)arethemostimportantgreenhousegassesintheatmospherewithitscontributiontoglobalwarmingjustlowerthanCO2.Theirconcentrationsinatmospherehavebeennotedtoincreasecurrentlyattherateof0.25%yr--'andl.02%yr',respectively(IPCC,1995).Atpresent,theincreaseofNZOandCH4intheatmospherehasbeenestimatedtoaccountfor20--25%oftheglobalwarming(FAO&IAEA,1992;Bailes&Bridges,1992).NOdoesnotabsorbradiationdirectlyintheatmosphere,buttheincreasingconcentrationofNOmay…     

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions in the agricultural sector of Russia

Anthropogenic emissions of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from livestock agriculture (enteric fermentation, animal waste management systems, and pasture manure) and plant growing of the Russia (CH₄ emissions from rice fields, direct and indirect N₂O emissions from agricultural lands) are considered. In 2004, the total emissions of these greenhouse gases in the agricultural sector amounted to 1.4 × 10⁵ thousand t CO₂-equivalent, which corresponds to 45% of the 1990 level (3.1 × 10⁵ thousand t CO₂-equivalent). In 2004, the contribution of N₂O to the total agricultural emissions was approximately twice (67.0%) that of CH₄ (33.0%). Direct N₂O emissions from agricultural soils (0.5 × 10⁵ thousand t CO₂-equivalent) and CH₄ emissions from the internal fermentation of domestic animals (0.4 × 10⁵ thousand t CO₂-equivalent) are the most significant sources in the agricultural sector of the Russian Federation. In 2004, all these agricultural sources emitting methane and nitrous oxide contributed about 7% CO₂-equivalent to the total emission of the anthropogenic greenhouse gases in Russia.     

Variations of atmospheric nitrous oxide concentration in the northern and western Pacific

Atmospheric N₂O concentration was observed in the Pacific for the period 1991–2006, using commercial container ships sailing between Japan and North America and between Japan and Australia or New Zealand. The N₂O concentration showed a secular increase and interannual variations at all sampling locations, but a seasonal cycle was detectable only at northern high latitudes. The annual mean N₂O concentration showed little longitudinal variations (within ± 0.3 ppb) in the northern Pacific, but showed a clear north-south gradient of about 0.8 ppb, with higher values in the Northern Hemisphere. The annual mean N₂O was also characterized by especially high values at 30°N due to strong local N₂O emissions and by a steep latitudinal decrease from the equator to 20°S due to the suppression of interhemispheric exchange of air by the South Pacific Convergence Zone. The N₂O growth rate showed an interannual variation with a period of about 3 yr (high-values in 1999 and 2000), with a delayed eastward and poleward phase propagation in the northern and western Pacific, respectively. The interannual variations of the N₂O growth rate and soil water showed a good correlation, suggesting that the N₂O emission from soils have an important causative role in the atmospheric N₂O variation.     

Modeling N2O Emissions from Agricultural Fields in Southeast China

DNDC, a rainfall-driven and process-oriented model of soil carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, is applied to simulate the nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural ecosystem in Southeast China. We simulated the soil N₂O emission during a whole rice-wheat rotation cycle (from Nov. 1, 1996 to Oct. 31, 1997) under three different conditions, which are A) no fertilizer, B) both chemical fertilizer and manure and, C) chemical fertilizer only. The processes of N₂O emission were discussed in detail by comparing the model outputs with the results from field measurement. The comparison shows that the model is good at simulating most of the N₂O emission pulses and trends. Although the simulated N₂O emission fluxes are generally less than the measured ones, the model outputs during the dryland period, especially during the wheat reviving and maturing stages in spring, are much better than those during the paddy field period. Some sensitive experiments were made by simulating the N₂O emissions in spring, when there is a smallest gap between the simulated fluxes and the measured ones. Meanwhile, the effects of some important regulating factors, such as the rainfall, N deposition by rainfall, temperature, tillage, nitrogen fertilizer and manure application on N₂O emission during this period were analyzed. From the analysis, we draw a conclusion that soil moisture and fertilization are the most important regulating factors while the N₂O emission is sensitive to some other factors, such as temperature, manure, tillage and the wet deposition of atmospheric nitrate.     

Integrating agriculture and climate change mitigation at landscape scale: Implications from an Australian case study

Rural and regional hinterlands provide the ecosystem service needs for increasingly urbanised communities across the globe. These inter-related ecosystem services provide key opportunities in securing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Their integrated management in the face of climate change, however, can be confounded by fragmentation within the complex institutional arrangements concerned with natural resource management. This suggests the need for a more systemic approach to continuous improvement in the integrated and adaptive governance of natural resources.This paper explores the theoretical foundations for integrated natural resource management and reviews positive systemic improvements that have been emerging in the Australian context. In setting clear theoretical foundations, the paper explores both functional and structural aspects of natural resource governance systems. Functional considerations include issues of connectivity, knowledge use and capacity within the natural resource decision making environment. Structural considerations refer to the institutions and processes that undertake planning through to implementation, monitoring and evaluation.From this foundation, we review the last decade of emerging initiatives in governance regarding the integration of agriculture and forests across the entire Australian landscape. This includes the shift towards more devolved regional approaches to integrated natural resource management and recent progress towards the use of terrestrial carbon at landscape scale to assist in climate change mitigation and adaptation. These developments, however, have also been tempered by a significant raft of new landscape-scale regulations that have tended to be based on a more centralist philosophy that landowners should be providing ecosystem services for the wider public good without substantive reward.Given this background, we explore a case study of efforts taken to integrate the management of landscape-scale agro-ecological services in the Wet Tropics of tropical Queensland. This is being achieved primarily through the integration of regional natural resource management planning and the development of aggregated terrestrial carbon offset products at a whole of landscape scale via the Degree Celsius initiative. Finally, the paper teases out the barriers and opportunities being experienced, leading to discussion about the global implications for managing climate change, income generation and poverty reduction.     

Modeling N_2O Emissions from Agricultural Fields in Southeast China

l.Intr0ductionWiththedevelopmentofeconomy,theenvironmentalproblemsarebec0mingincreasinglyserious.Am0ngthem,theenhancementofgreenh0useeffectsandglobalwarm-ingaretwoimPOrtantonesthathavear0usedwideattention.Nitrousoxide(N,O)isanim-POrtantgreenhousegasandplayingagreatroleinthesetwoprocesses.SincetheIndustrialRevolution,theatmosphericN2Oconcentrationhasincreasedbyaboutl5%(IPCC,l995).Inthelast4Oyears,itincreasedrapidlyatarateof0.2%ro.3%yr-'(IPCC,l99O).Ifitin-creasesatthisrate,theatmospheri…     

华北的雨季

根据旬降水量资料，对华北雨季进行了划分，结果表明，华北雨季开始期主要集中在７月中甸左右，结束期主要集中在８月中旬左右，雨季强度的气候变化特点是由强转弱的趋势变化，分析发现当前期春季青藏高原５００ｈＰａ高度场偏高和赤道东太平洋海温场偏低时，华北雨季强度为强或偏强的趋势；反之当高度场偏低和海温场偏高时，则雨季强度为弱或偏弱的趋势，这为预报华北雨季强弱变化提供了依据。     

1979-2008年华北地区对流层顶高度变化特征

利用1979-2008年华北地区12个测站逐日对流层顶探空资料,运用统计学方法对该地区不同类别对流层顶发生及其高度的季节特征进行探讨,并采用线性趋势、小波分析和EOF分解等方法对其高度变化等气候特征进行分析,揭示了该地区对流层顶的季节特征及其高度变化的基本事实和规律.结果表明:华北地区第一对流层顶冬季出现多,夏季少,近...     

华北地区降雹时空分布特征

应用1991—2000年华北地区基本站资料，统计分析了华北地区降雹的时空分布特征。结果表明：(1)与阴山山脉以及太行山脉有关的主要降雹高频区，组成了“T”型分布特征；(2)从旬或候雹日演变看，冰雹年变化具有三峰型；(3)降雹日变化有季节性特点。     

气候变化对中国农业旱灾损失率的影响及其南北区域差异性

在全球变暖背景下,干旱灾害对中国农业生产的影响日益严重,然而由于旱灾损失的复杂性及其显著的区域差异,至今对中国农业旱灾损失规律及其影响机制的认识十分有限。文中利用1961年以来中国农业干旱灾害的灾情资料和常规气象资料,系统分析了近50年来中国农业干旱灾害不同受灾强度分布比率和综合损失率等指标的变化趋势及其在北方和南方的区域差异,研究了20世纪90年代的气温突变对农业旱灾损失率的影响特征,探讨了农业旱灾综合损失率对气温和降水等气候要素变化的依赖关系及其在气候空间的分布特征。结果发现,在气候变化背景下,近50年来中国农业旱灾综合损失率平均每10 a约增加0.5%,风险明显增大。而且,北方综合损失率每10 a约增加0.6%,高出南方1倍,风险增大的速度明显比南方快;北方农业旱灾几乎在很宽松的气温条件下就可以发生,而南方更多发生在气温较高的年份。并且,在气温突变后,变化趋势明显加剧,全中国综合损失率约增加了0.9%,风险明显增高;而且北方综合损失率的增值高达1.8%,是南方的4倍还多,气候突变对北方农业旱灾风险的影响明显比南方更凸出。综合损失率在北方对降水变化的响应要更敏感,而在南方对气温变化的响应更敏感。同时,关键影响期降水对综合损失率的影响比全年降水影响更显著;北方的关键影响期作用比南方更凸出。这些新的科学认识对中国农业旱灾防御具有重要意义。