logo
ResearchBunny Logo
Carbon-sink potential of continuous alfalfa agriculture lowered by short-term nitrous oxide emission events

Environmental Studies and Forestry

Carbon-sink potential of continuous alfalfa agriculture lowered by short-term nitrous oxide emission events

T. L. Anthony, D. J. Szutu, et al.

Discover how alfalfa, known for its carbon sink capabilities, is secretly a significant source of nitrous oxide emissions! This groundbreaking research by Tyler L. Anthony, Daphne J. Szutu, Joseph G. Verfaillie, Dennis D. Baldocchi, and Whendee L. Silver reveals the intricacies of greenhouse gas fluxes in California's alfalfa agroecosystem and the unexpected impact on climate change mitigation.

00:00
00:00
Playback language: English
Abstract
Alfalfa, a significant carbon sink due to high productivity and nitrogen fixation, may also be a large nitrous oxide (N₂O) source, offsetting its climate change mitigation potential. This study used long-term automated instrumentation and satellite imagery to quantify greenhouse gas fluxes in a continuous alfalfa agroecosystem in California. Results show the system was a large N₂O source (624 ± 28 mg N₂O m⁻² y⁻¹), offsetting the ecosystem carbon sink by up to 14% annually. Short-term N₂O emission events (hot moments) accounted for a small percentage of measurements but a large portion of annual emissions, primarily driven by rainfall and irrigation. Plant activity also influenced background N₂O emissions. Annual N₂O emissions significantly lower the carbon-sink potential of continuous alfalfa agriculture.
Publisher
Nature Communications
Published On
Apr 06, 2023
Authors
Tyler L. Anthony, Daphne J. Szutu, Joseph G. Verfaillie, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Whendee L. Silver
Tags
Alfalfa
nitrous oxide
greenhouse gas fluxes
carbon sink
agroecosystem
California
climate change
Listen, Learn & Level Up
Over 10,000 hours of research content in 25+ fields, available in 12+ languages.
No more digging through PDFs, just hit play and absorb the world's latest research in your language, on your time.
listen to research audio papers with researchbunny