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• 1. [Article] Factors Affecting Methane Emissions from Rice Fields

  Methane emissions from rice fields are affected by a number of environmental and agricultural factors. We have analyzed our 7-year data set on methane emissions from rice fields in Tu Zu, China, to delineate ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Factors Affecting Methane Emissions from Rice Fields Author: Khalil, M. A. K., Rasmussen, R. A., Shearer, Martha J., Dalluge, R. W., Ren, Lixin, Duan, Chang-Lin Year: 1998 Methane emissions from rice fields are affected by a number of environmental and agricultural factors. We have analyzed our 7-year data set on methane emissions from rice fields in Tu Zu, China, to delineate the relationships between emissions and a number of variables that were measured at the same time. Our work was done in fields that were managed under prevailing agricultural practices of the region. Consequently, only the effect of factors that vary from year to year or during the growing season can be calculated. In our study we measured the effects of environmental variables (soil temperature, wind speed, sky cover) and agricultural factors (planting density, water level, rice cultivars, organic fertilizer amounts, yield). Of these variables, soil temperature had the most significant effect on methane emissions resulting in Q₁₀ values of about 2 (1.5–3). The effect of sky cover, and even water levels, was to change the soil temperature, which in turn affected the methane flux. Wind tended to increase emissions, possibly by agitation of the soil. Of the agricultural variables, planting density had the most significant but complex effect on methane emissions. We studied emissions from up to 4 times the normal planting density under otherwise similar agricultural conditions in the same fields. For a four fold increase in planting density the seasonal average emissions increased by about a factor of 2. Rice cultivars had a small but detectable effect. The amount of organic fertilizer and the yields did not affect methane emissions in our fields. The lack of an effect from the fertilizers is attributed to a saturation phenomenon whereby methane emissions do not respond to continual increases in organic material after some sufficiently high level. Title: Factors Affecting Methane Emissions from Rice Fields Author: Khalil, M. A. K., Rasmussen, R. A., Shearer, Martha J., Dalluge, R. W., Ren, Lixin, Duan, Chang-Lin Year: 1998 Methane emissions from rice fields are affected by a number of environmental and agricultural factors. We have analyzed our 7-year data set on methane emissions from rice fields in Tu Zu, China, to delineate the relationships between emissions and a number of variables that were measured at the same time. Our work was done in fields that were managed under prevailing agricultural practices of the region. Consequently, only the effect of factors that vary from year to year or during the growing season can be calculated. In our study we measured the effects of environmental variables (soil temperature, wind speed, sky cover) and agricultural factors (planting density, water level, rice cultivars, organic fertilizer amounts, yield). Of these variables, soil temperature had the most significant effect on methane emissions resulting in Q₁₀ values of about 2 (1.5–3). The effect of sky cover, and even water levels, was to change the soil temperature, which in turn affected the methane flux. Wind tended to increase emissions, possibly by agitation of the soil. Of the agricultural variables, planting density had the most significant but complex effect on methane emissions. We studied emissions from up to 4 times the normal planting density under otherwise similar agricultural conditions in the same fields. For a four fold increase in planting density the seasonal average emissions increased by about a factor of 2. Rice cultivars had a small but detectable effect. The amount of organic fertilizer and the yields did not affect methane emissions in our fields. The lack of an effect from the fertilizers is attributed to a saturation phenomenon whereby methane emissions do not respond to continual increases in organic material after some sufficiently high level. Close

• 2. [Article] Tracers of Wood Smoke

  Smoke from wood burning is a significant source of air pollution in many parts of the world. When several sources simultaneously cause air pollution, it is often difficult to determine how much comes from ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Tracers of Wood Smoke Author: Khalil, M. A. K., Rasmussen, R. A. Year: 2003 Smoke from wood burning is a significant source of air pollution in many parts of the world. When several sources simultaneously cause air pollution, it is often difficult to determine how much comes from wood burning. Woodsmoke has unique chemical characteristics that can be used as indicators, including elemental composition, particularly potassium and chlorine, the ratios of organic and elemental carbon, and gases such as methyl chloride. This paper deals with formulating and applying the chemical mass balance approach incorporating both gas- and aerosol-phase tracers to a study carried out at Olympia-Lacey in Washington. In this study, three types of tracers were measured simultaneously and used to estimate woodsmoke pollution during Winter, namely elemental composition and organic carbon in the particle phase and methyl chloride in the gas phase. The results from the different tracers are found to be in agreement. The air pollution at the study site was dominated by woodsmoke mostly from low-temperature combustion (about 80%), with additional but smaller contributions from oil furnaces (15%), automobiles (4%) and occasionally from other nearby sources. Title: Tracers of Wood Smoke Author: Khalil, M. A. K., Rasmussen, R. A. Year: 2003 Smoke from wood burning is a significant source of air pollution in many parts of the world. When several sources simultaneously cause air pollution, it is often difficult to determine how much comes from wood burning. Woodsmoke has unique chemical characteristics that can be used as indicators, including elemental composition, particularly potassium and chlorine, the ratios of organic and elemental carbon, and gases such as methyl chloride. This paper deals with formulating and applying the chemical mass balance approach incorporating both gas- and aerosol-phase tracers to a study carried out at Olympia-Lacey in Washington. In this study, three types of tracers were measured simultaneously and used to estimate woodsmoke pollution during Winter, namely elemental composition and organic carbon in the particle phase and methyl chloride in the gas phase. The results from the different tracers are found to be in agreement. The air pollution at the study site was dominated by woodsmoke mostly from low-temperature combustion (about 80%), with additional but smaller contributions from oil furnaces (15%), automobiles (4%) and occasionally from other nearby sources. Close