(Anthropogenic) Greenhouse Gases from Forest Soils

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.kit.edu/visit/pi_2011_6446.php

Press Release 058/2011
Greenhouse Gases from Forest Soils

Reactive Nitrogen Causes Much Higher Climate-damaging Nitrous Oxide Emissions in European Forests than Previously Estimated by the IPCC

Reactive nitrogen compounds from agriculture, transport, and industry lead to increased emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) from forests in Europe. Nitrous oxide emission from forest soils is at least twice as high as estimated so far by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This is one of the key messages of the first study on nitrogen in Europe (European Nitrogen Assessment, ENA) that is presented this week at the International Conference ”Nitrogen and Global Change 2011“ in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Reactive nitrogen compounds (e.g. NH3 and NOx) are mainly of anthropogenic origin. After their deposition to forests via air, they are partly converted into nitrous oxide (N2O). Following carbon dioxide and methane, nitrous oxide is the third most important greenhouse gas. One kilogramme of nitrous oxide is about 300 times as greenhouse-effective as the same amount of carbon dioxide.

…

The increased atmospheric input of reactive nitrogen mainly comes from fertiliser use in agriculture and the associated volatilisation of ammonia and from nitrogen oxide emissions due to the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass burning.

Increased deposition of reactive nitrogen to forests does not only result in climate-damaging nitrous oxide emissions from forest soils, but also in a loss of diversity of plant and animal species and enhanced nitrate emissions into water.

When presenting this part of the ENA study in Edinburgh, Professor Klaus Butterbach-Bahl emphasised: “The present atmospheric reactive nitrogen deposition is much too high. Our analysis shows that significant reductions in particular of ammonia emissions from agricultural activities are needed to reduce nitrous gas emissions from forest
soils.”

…

[madokie]

1. If this is on the up and up

Then why do they put a measurement of 'One kilogramme' of nitrous oxide is about 300 times as greenhouse-effective as the same amount of carbon dioxide.' Methinks someone is trying to pull wool over our eyes, could that be possible

[Nihil]

3. Because gases can also be weighed?

Not sure what your problem is on this one but N2O is a seriously powerful
greenhouse gas ...

N2O is a greenhouse gas with tremendous global warming potential (GWP).
When compared to carbon dioxide (CO2), N2O has 310 times the ability to
trap heat in the atmosphere.<72> N2O is produced naturally in the soil
during the microbial processes of nitrification and denitrification.

Yes, it's Wiki but ref #72 is http://www.epa.gov/nitrousoxide/scientific.html ...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a clear, colorless gas, with a slightly sweet odor.
Due to its long atmospheric lifetime (approximately 120 years) and heat trapping
effects —about 310 times more powerful than carbon dioxide on a per molecule
basis — N2O is an important greenhouse gas.

Nitrous oxide has both natural and human-related sources, and is removed from
the atmosphere mainly by photolysis (i.e., breakdown by sunlight) in the
stratosphere. In the United States, the main human-related sources of N2O are
agricultural soil management, mobile and stationary combustion of fossil fuel,
adipic acid production, and nitric acid production. N2O is also produced naturally
from a wide variety of biological sources in soil and water. On a global basis,
it is estimated that natural sources account for over 60% of the total N2O
emissions (IPCC, 2001c).

The latter also explains why the OP article referenced "kilogrammes":

The concept of a global warming potential (GWP) was developed to compare the
ability of each greenhouse gas to trap heat in the atmosphere relative to
another gas. The definition of a GWP for a particular greenhouse gas is the
ratio of heat trapped by one unit mass of the greenhouse gas to that of
one unit mass of CO2 over a specified time period.

Hope this helps! :hi:

[madokie]

4. You put a lot of effort in this reply and thanks but I already knew that

when all I was saying is why did they have to put a measurement of one kilogram when simply (nitrous oxide is 300 times worse as a green house gas than co2 is) would have sufficed.

I wasn't questioning the fact that n2o is a worse ghg I was perplexed by their wording. :hi:

N2O will also get you higher than a kite. I once had to pull some people out of a car where they weren't simply satisfied with blowing up balloons and inhaling it they put the cylinder in the car with them and cracked the valve. If I hadn't come along when I did 5 people would have died that night. They were already comatose when I found them. The last I seen of that cylinder it was being thrown in the lake. This just dredged up memories of 40 years ago.
Peace
Have a great day

[pscot]

2. You mean Reagan was right?

Trees pollute?

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Reagan was not entirely wrong

http://books.google.com/books?id=5crGrqD4W-sC&lpg=PA496&ots=IiBjgOOlPR&dq=%22First%20of%20all%2C%20I%20didn't%20say%2080%20percent.%20I%20said%2092%20percent%2C%2093%20percent%2C%20pardon%20me.%20And%20I%20didn't%20say%20air%20pollution%2C%20I%20said%20oxides%20of%20nitrogen%2C%20And%20I%20am%20right.%20Growing%20and%20decaying%20vegetation%20in%20this%20land%20are%20responsible%20for%2093%20percent%20of%20the%20oxides%20of%20nitrogen.''&pg=PA496#v=onepage&q=%22First%20of%20all,%20I%20didn't%20say%2080%20percent.%20I%20said%2092%20percent,%2093%20percent,%20pardon%20me.%20And%20I%20didn't%20say%20air%20pollution,%20I%20said%20oxides%20of%20nitrogen,%20And%20I%20am%20right.%20Growing%20and%20decaying%20vegetation%20in%20this%20land%20are%20responsible%20for%2093%20percent%20of%20the%20oxides%20of%20nitrogen.''&f=false