Pasture age effects on N[sub 2]O, NO and CH[sub 4] emissions in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica

Conference · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States)

OSTI ID:6246644

Keller, M ^[1]; Reiners, W A ^[2]; Veldkamp, E ^[3]

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1. Institute of Tropical Forestry, Rio Piedras (Puerto Rico)
2. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie (United States)
3. Wageningen Univ. (United Kingdom)

A study conducted in Brazil indicated that N[sub 2]O emissions increased following forest conversion to pasture. Our first study in Costa Rica indicated the reverse. To explore this contradiction, we measured N[sub 2]O, NO, and CH[sub 4] emissions in a chronosequence of 8 sites comprising forest and derive pastures of ayes 2 to 25 years, all on the same soil type in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica. We found large differences through the chronosequence in the fluxes of these three gases. Flux changes were related to changes in available nitrogen, organic matter, moisture content, and bulk density in the soil. N[sub 2]O emissions from the 2-year pasture were much greater than from the forest. Emissions declined with pasture age so that 25-year pasture had much smaller emissions than the forest. NO emissions from young pastures were similar to forest emissions, then declined sharply with pasture age. Forest soils consumed CH[sub 4]. Pasture soils mainly produced CH[sub 4]. Prediction of the effects of land use change on trace gas fluxes in the tropics will require an assessment of the history and soil condition of individual land units.

• OSTI ID: 6246644
• Report Number(s): CONF-930798-; CODEN: BECLAG
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States), Vol. 74:2; Conference: 78. annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting, Madison, WI (United States), 31 Jul - 4 Aug 1993; ISSN 0012-9623
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COSTA RICA
PASTURES
DEFORESTATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
METHANE
EMISSION
NITRIC OXIDE
NITROUS OXIDE
SOILS
SOIL CHEMISTRY
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
GASES
GREENHOUSE GASES
LAND USE
MOISTURE
NITROGEN
ORGANIC MATTER
TROPICAL REGIONS
ALKANES
CENTRAL AMERICA
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
HYDROCARBONS
LATIN AMERICA
MATTER
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)