Full Accounting of the Greenhouse Gas (CO sub(2), N sub(2)O, CH sub(4)) Budget of Nine European Grassland Sites

• Published in: Agriculture, ecosystems & environment Vol. 121; no. 1-2; pp. 121 - 134
• Main Authors: Soussana, J F, Allard, V, Pilegaard, K, Ambus, P, Amman, C, Campbell, C, Ceschia, E, Clifton-Brown, J, Czobel, S, Domingues, R, Flechard, C, Fuhrer, J, Hensen, A, Horvath, L, Jones, M, Kasper, G, Martin, C, Nagy, Z, Neftel, A, Raschi, A, Baronti, S, Rees, R M, Skiba, U, Stefani, P, Manca, G, Sutton, M, Tuba, Z, Valentini, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-06-2007
• Subjects: Europe
• ISSN: 0167-8809
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2006.12.022

Full accounting of the greenhouse gas budget of nine European grassland sites was conducted. At all sites, the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide was assessed using the eddy covariance technique. N sub(2)O emissions were monitored using various techniques and methane emissions resulting from enteric fermentation of the grazing cattle were measured in situ at four sites using the SF sub(6) tracer method. Because of organic C exports being usually greater than C imports, the average C storage in the grassland plots was estimated at -104 plus or minus 73 g C m super(-2) year super(-1), that is 43% of the atmospheric CO sub(2) sink. It was concluded that on average of the nine sites, the attributed GHG balance was not significantly different from zero.