Greenhouse gases and agriculture. Book chapter
Agriculture ranks third in its contribution to Earth's anthropogenically enhanced greenhouse effect. (Energy use and production and chlorofluorocarbons are ranked first and second, respectively.) Specifically, greenhouse gas sources and sinks are increased, and sinks are decreased, by conversion of land to agricultural use, using fertilizers, cultivating paddy rice, producing other plant and animal crops, and by creating and managing animal and plant wastes. However, some of these same activities increase greenhouse gas sinks and decrease greenhouse gas sources so the net effects are not obvious. The paper identifies the agricultural inputs, outputs, and wastes that alter atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides, and discusses agriculture's net impact on greenhouse gas fluxes.
- Research Organization:
- Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA (United States). Environmental Research Lab.
- OSTI ID:
- 6599530
- Report Number(s):
- PB-93-158848/XAB; EPA--600/A-93/035
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
540220* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
AGRICULTURE
AIR POLLUTION
ALKANES
ANIMALS
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
BIOLOGY
BOTANY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CEREALS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
CONVERSION
CROPS
CULTIVATION
ELEMENTS
FERTILIZERS
GRAMINEAE
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
GREENHOUSE GASES
HYDROCARBONS
LAND USE
LILIOPSIDA
MAGNOLIOPHYTA
MANAGEMENT
MATERIAL BALANCE
METHANE
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC WASTES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANTS
POLLUTION
PRODUCTION
RICE
SINKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES