Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Agricultural Soils of the Boreal and Parkland Regions of Alberta

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1998 · Soil Science Society of America Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200040034x· OSTI ID:1591875

Lemke, R L. ^[1]; Izaurralde, R Cesar C. ^[2]; Malhi, S S. ^[3]; Arshad, M A. ^[4]; Nyborg, M. ^[5]

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1. Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
2. BATTELLE (PACIFIC NW LAB)
3. Melfort Research Farm
4. Beaverlodge Research Station
5. University of Alberta

The contribution of agricultural soils to atmospheric N2O in the Boreal and Parkland regions of Alberta is largely unknown. Field data are required to quantify the flux of N,O from these regions, as are methodologies to scale up from site-specific measurements to large geographical areas. Climate—soil-management combinations (CSMCs) aggregated to an ecodistrict level have recently been proposed as a technique for scaling up greenhouse gas flux estimates for Canadian agriculture. Our objective was to calculate seasonal N2O losses and investigate large-scale spatial variability using field data from selected sites in the Boreal and Parkland regions. We used vented soil covers to measure N2O emissions during spring and summer of 1993 and 1994, and the spring of 1995, from six representative CSMCs in five ecodistricts in Alberta. Substantial and consistent differences in the magnitude of N2O-N loss among sites were observed, with annual estimated losses of N2O-N ranging from 0.4 to 2.6 kg ha '. Up to 70% of the total annual N2O-N loss occurred during brief but intense bursts at spring thaw. Soil clay content was found to be strongly correlated with annual N2O-N loss. This relationship suggests that clay content, readily available from soil data bases, could be used as a N2O-loss predictor variable when applying scaling-up methodologies.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1591875
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-42207
• Journal Information: Soil Science Society of America Journal, Journal Name: Soil Science Society of America Journal Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 62
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English