Understanding N 2 O Emissions in African Ecosystems: Assessments from a Semi-Arid Savanna Grassland in Senegal and Sub-Tropical Agricultural Fields in Kenya

Laurent Bigaignon, Claire Delon, Ousmane Ndiaye, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Dominique Serça, Frédéric Guérin, Tiphaine Tallec, Lutz Merbold, Torbern Tagesson, Rasmus Fensholt, Sylvain André and Sylvain Galliau
Additional contact information
Laurent Bigaignon: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Claire Delon: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Ousmane Ndiaye: Centre de Recherche Zootechnique, Institut Sénégalais de Recherche Agricole, BP 3120 Yoff, Dakar, Senegal
Corinne Galy-Lacaux: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Dominique Serça: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Frédéric Guérin: Geosciences Environnement Toulouse, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, IRD, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Tiphaine Tallec: Centre d’Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CNES, IRD, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Lutz Merbold: Mazingira Centre, International Livestock Research Institute, 30709 Nairobi, Kenya
Torbern Tagesson: Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University, Box 117, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Rasmus Fensholt: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, DK-1165 Copenhagen, Denmark
Sylvain André: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France
Sylvain Galliau: Laboratoire d’Aérologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, CEDEX 6, 31013 Toulouse, France

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-26

Abstract: This study is based on the analysis of field-measured nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from a Sahelian semi-arid grassland site in Senegal (Dahra), tropical humid agricultural plots in Kenya (Mbita region) and simulations using a 1D model designed for semi arid ecosystems in Dahra. This study aims at improving present knowledge and inventories of N 2 O emissions from the African continent. N 2 O emissions were larger at the agricultural sites in the Mbita region (range: 0.0 ± 0.0 to 42.1 ± 10.7 ngN m −2 s −1 ) than at the Dahra site (range: 0.3 ± 0 to 7.4 ± 6.5 ngN m −2 s −1 ). Soil water and nitrate (NO 3 − ) contents appeared to be the most important drivers of N 2 O emissions in Dahra at the seasonal scale in both regions. The seasonal pattern of modelled N 2 O emissions is well represented, though the model performed better during the rainy season than between the rainy and dry seasons. This study highlighted that the water-filled pore space threshold recognised as a trigger for N 2 O emissions should be reconsidered for semi-arid ecosystems. Based on both measurements and simulated results, an annual N 2 O budget was estimated for African savanna/grassland and agricultural land ranging between 0.17–0.26 and 1.15–1.20 TgN per year, respectively.

Keywords: nitrogen; GHG; chambers; modelling; tropical ecosystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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