Greenhouse gases from agriculture

authored by: M. Zaman, K. Kleineidam, L. Bakken, J. Berendt, C. Bracken, K. Butterbach-Bahl, Z. Cai, S. X. Chang, T. Clough, K. Dawar, W. X. Ding, P. Dörsch, M. dos Reis Martins, C. Eckhardt, S. Fiedler, T. Frosch, J. Goopy, C. M. Görres, A. Gupta, S. Henjes, M. E.G. Hofmann, M. A. Horn, M. M.R. Jahangir, A. Jansen-Willems, K. Lenhart, L. Heng, D. Lewicka-Szczebak, G. Lucic, L. Merbold, J. Mohn, L. Molstad, G. Moser, P. Murphy, A. Sanz-Cobena, M. Šimek, S. Urquiaga, R. Well, N. Wrage-Mönnig, S. Zaman, J. Zhang, C. Müller
Abstract: The rapidly changing global climate due to increased emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs) is leading to an increased occurrence of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves. The three major GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The major natural sources of CO2 include ocean-atmosphere exchange, respiration of animals, soils (microbial respiration) and plants, and volcanic eruption; while the anthropogenic sources include burning of fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and oil), deforestation, and the cultivation of land that increases the decomposition of soil organic matter and crop and animal residues. Natural sources of CH4 emission include wetlands, termite activities, and oceans. Paddy fields used for rice production, livestock production systems (enteric emission from ruminants), landfills, and the production and use of fossil fuels are the main anthropogenic sources of CH4. Nitrous oxide, in addition to being a major GHG, is also an ozone-depleting gas. N2O is emitted by natural processes from oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. Anthropogenic N2O emissions occur mostly through agricultural and other land-use activities and are associated with the intensification of agricultural and other human activities such as increased use of synthetic fertiliser (119.4 million tonnes of N worldwide in 2019), inefficient use of irrigation water, deposition of animal excreta (urine and dung) from grazing animals, excessive and inefficient application of farm effluents and animal manure to croplands and pastures, and management practices that enhance soil organic N mineralisation and C decomposition. Agriculture could act as a source and a sink of GHGs. Besides direct sources, GHGs also come from various indirect sources, including upstream and downstream emissions in agricultural systems and ammonia (NH3) deposition from fertiliser and animal manure.
Organisation(s): Institute of Microbiology
External Organisation(s): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Justus Liebig University Giessen
University of Rostock
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
CAS - Institute of Atmospheric Physics
International Livestock Research Institute
Nanjing Normal University
University of Alberta
Lincoln University
NWFP Agricultural University
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
Embrapa - Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Hochschule Geisenheim University
Independent Consultant
Picarro B.V., Eindhoven
Bangladesh Agricultural University
Münster University of Applied Sciences
University of Wrocław
PICARRO
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology (EMPA)
Technical University of Madrid (UPM)
University of South Bohemia
Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries
University of Canterbury
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
University College Dublin
Type: Contribution to book/anthology
Pages: 1-10
No. of pages: 10
Publication date: 30.01.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Environmental Science(all), Engineering(all), Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55396-8_1 (Access: Open)