Title
Simulation of daily N2O [Nitrous Oxide] emissions from managed peat soils
Author
Stolk, P.C.
Hendriks, R.F.A.
Jacobs, C.M.J.
Duyzer, J.H.
Moors, E.J.
van Groenigen, J.W.
Kroon, P.S.
Schrier-Uijl, A.P.
Veenendaal, E.M.
Kabat, P.
Publication year
2011
Abstract
Simulation of emissions of the greenhouse gas N2O from agricultural land is still a challenge. This is mainly due to its high temporal variability, with low background emissions and a few transient peaks. In this study, a first attempt was made to simulate observations of N2O fluxes with a daily time step from managed peat soils. We used a new N2O module added to the extensively tested hydrological–biogeochemical model combination SWAP-ANIMO, hypothesizing that accurate simulation of the controlling factors would imply accurate simulation of the dynamics of the N2O emissions as well. We used daily N2O emission data from three sites in the Netherlands, with complementary data on soil moisture, mineral N content, and soil N2O concentration. Simulation of soil moisture, mineral N, and N2O concentration was reasonable to good. Still, simulation of the daily N2O emissions was poor, with model efficiencies <0, mainly due to overestimation of N2O emission from denitrification in the topsoil. We expect that the model overestimated diffusion of N2O from the topsoil to the atmosphere, thereby underestimating further reductions of N2O to N2. This was probably linked to the complex peat pore geometry. We concluded that the description of the N2O processes in our model was insufficient to accurately simulate daily N2O emissions from peat soils, even when the main controlling factors are accurately simulated. Improvement is expected from incorporation of the effects of (peat) pore geometry on soil moisture and consequently on N2O production, reduction, storage, and transport.
Subject
Earth & Environment
UES - Urban Environment & Safety
EELS - Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences
Oil and Gas
Simulation Energy
Energy / Geological Survey Netherlands
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d3fd5fa1-a469-485e-84ad-6b3a11738890
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2010.0029
TNO identifier
462595
Source
Vadose Zone Journal, 10 (1), 156-168
Document type
article