Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Annual emissions of greenhouse gases from sheepfolds in Inner Mongolia

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sheepfolds represent significant hot spot sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) in semi-arid grassland regions, such as Inner Mongolia in China. However, the annual contribution of sheepfolds to regional GHG emissions is still unknown. In order to quantify its annual contribution, we conducted measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes at two sheepfold sites in the Baiyinxile administrative region of Inner Mongolia for 1 year, using static opaque chamber and gas chromatography methods. Our data show that, at an annual scale, both sheepfolds functioned as net sources of CO2, CH4 and N2O. Temperatures primarily determined the seasonal pattern of CO2 emission; 60–84% of the CO2 flux variation could be explained by temperature changes. High rates of net CH4 emissions from sheepfold soils were only observed when animals (sheep and goats) were present. While nitrous oxide emissions were also stimulated by the presence of animals, pulses of N2O emissions were also be related to rainfall and spring-thaw events. The total annual cumulative GHG emissions in CO2 equivalents (CO2: 1; CH4: 25; and N2O: 298) were quantified as 87.4 ± 18.4 t ha−1 for the sheepfold that was used during the non-grazing period (i.e., winter sheepfold) and 136.7 ± 15.9 t ha−1 used during the grazing period (i.e., summer sheepfold). Of the annual total GHG emissions, CH4 release accounted for approximately 1% of emissions, while CO2 and N2O emissions contributed to approximately 59% and 40%, respectively. The total GHG emission factor (CO2 + CH4 + N2O) per animal for the sheepfolds investigated in this study was 30.3 kg CO2 eq yr−1 head−1, which translates to 0.3, 18.8 and 11.2 kg CO2 eq yr−1 head−1 for CH4, CO2 and N2O, respectively. Sheepfolds accounted for approximately 34% of overall N2O emissions in the Baiyinxile administrative region, a typical steppe region within Inner Mongolia. The contribution of sheepfolds to the regional CO2 or CH4 exchange is marginal.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amon B, Amon T, Boxberger JAC (2001) Emissions of NH3, N2O and CH4 from dairy cows housed in a farmyard manure tying stall (housing, manure storage, manure spreading). Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 60:103–113

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bai WM, Bao XM, Li LH (2004) Effect of Agriophyllum squarrosum seed banks on its colonization in a moving sand dune in Hunshandake Sand land of China. J Arid Environ 59:151–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer J, Herbst M, Huisman JA, Weihermuller L, Vereecken H (2008) Sensitivity of simulated soil heterotrophic respiration to temperature and moisture reduction functions. Geoderma 145:17–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Billings SA, Ziegler SE (2008) Altered patterns of soil carbon substrate usage and heterotrophic respiration in a pine forest with elevated CO2 and N fertilization. Glob Chang Biol 14:1025–1036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bureau of Statistic of Inner Mongol (2007) Inner Mongolia Yearbook 2007. Beijing, China Statistic Press

  • Chadwick DR, Pain BF (1997) Methane fluxes following slurry applications to grassland soils: laboratory experiments. Agric Ecosyst Environ 63:51–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chadwick DR, Pain BF, Brookmann SDE (2000) Nitrous oxide and methane emissions following application of animal manures to grassland. J Environ Qual 29:277–287

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, Cabrera ML, Zhang L, Shi Y, Shen SM (2003) Long-term decomposition of organic materials with different carbon/nitrogen ratios. Commun Soil Sci Plant Anal 34:41–54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis S, Webb J, Misselbrook T, Chadwick D (2001) Emission of ammonia (NH3), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) from a dairy hardstanding in the UK. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 60:115–122

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flessa H, Beese F (2000) Laboratory estimates of trace gas emission following surface application and injection of cattle slurry. Atmospheric Pollutants and Trance Gases 29:262–268

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flessa H, Dorsh P, Beese F, Konig H, Bouwman AF (1996) Influence of cattle wastes on nitrous oxide and methane fluxes in pasture land. J Environ Qual 25:1366–1370

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodroad LL, Keeney DR, Peterson LA (1984) Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils in Wisconsin. J Environ Qual 13:557–561

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holst J, Liu CY, Yao ZS, Brüggemann N, Zheng XH, Han XG, Butterbach-Bahl K (2007) Importance of point sources on regional nitrous oxide fluxes in semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Plant Soil 296:209–226

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hynšt J, Šimek M, Brůček P, Petersen SO (2007) High fluxes but different patterns of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from soil in a cattle overwintering area. Agric Ecosyst Environ 120:269–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2007) In: Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, Chen Z, Marquis M, Averyt KB, Tignor M, Miller HL (eds) Climate change 2007: the physical science basis, contribution of working group I to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroon PS, Hensen A, van den Bulk WCM, Jongejan PAC, Vermeulen AT (2008) The importance of reducing the systematic error due to non-linearity in N2O flux measurements by static chambers. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 82:175–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu ZK, Wang SP, Han JG, Wang YF, Chen ZZ (2004) Changes of soil chemical properties in sheep urine patches in Inner Mongolia steppe. Chin J Appl Ecol (In Chinese) 15:2255–2260

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu CY, Holst J, Yao ZS, Brüggemann N, Butterbach-Bahl K, Han SH, Han XG, Tas B, Susenbeth A, Zheng XH (2009a) Growing season methane budget of an Inner Mongolian steppe. Atmos Environ 43:3086–3095

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu CY, Holst J, Yao ZS, Brüggemann N, Butterbach-Bahl K, Han SH, Han XG, Zheng XH (2009b) Sheepfolds as “hotspots” of nitric oxide (NO) emission in an Inner Mongolian steppe. Agric Ecosyst Environ 134:136–142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma XZ, Wang SP, Wang YF, Jiang GM, Nyren P (2006) Short-term effects of sheep excreta on carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane fluxes in typical grassland of Inner Mongolis. NZ J Agric Res 49:285–297

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maljanen M, Martikkala M, Kopenen HT, Virkajärvi P, Martikainen PJ (2007) Fluxes of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide from experimental excreta patches in boreal agricultural soil. Soil Biol Biochem 39:914–920

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Misselbrook TH, Webb J, Chadwick DR, Ellis S, Pain BF (2001) Gaseous emissions from outdoor concrete yards used by livestock. Atmos Environ 35:5331–5338

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Papen H, Butterbach-Bahl K (1999) A 3-year continuous record of nitrogen trace gas fluxes from untreated and limed soil of a N-saturated spruce and beech forest ecosystem in Germany. Part 1: N2O emissions. J Geophys Res Atmos 104:18487–18503

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Petersen SO, Stamatiadis S, Christofides C (2004) Short-term nitrous oxide emissions from pasture soil as influenced by urea level and soil nitrate. Plant Soil 267:117–127

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saggar S, Bolan NS, Bhandral R, Hedley CB, Luo J (2004) A review of emissions of methane, ammonia, and nitrous oxide from animal excreta deposition and farm effluent application in grazed pastures. NZ J Agric Res 47:513–544

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang SP, Li YH (1997) The influence of different stocking rates and grazing season on feces composition and relevance to diet composition. Acta Zoonutrimenta 9(2): 49 - 56 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang YS, Wang YH (2003) Quick measurement of CH4, CO2 and N2O emissions from a short-plant ecosystem. Adv Atmos Sci 20:842–844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Fang JY (2009) Soil respiration and human effects on global grasslands. Global Planet Change 67:20–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamulki S, Jarvis SC, Owen P (1999) Methane emission and uptake from soils as influenced by excreta deposition from grazing animals. J Environ Qual 28:676–682

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Wang M, Wang Y, Shen R, Li J, Kogge JHM, Li L, Jin J (1998) Comparison of manual and automatic methods for measurement of methane emissions from rice paddy fields. Adv Atmos Sci 15:569–579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng XH, Mei BL, Wang YH, Xie BH, Wang YS, Dong HB, Xu H, Chen GX, Cai ZC, Yue J, Gu JX, Su F, Zou JW, Zhu JG (2008) Quantification of N2O fluxes from soil-plant systems may be biased by the applied gas chromatograph methodology. Plant Soil 311:211–234

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40805061, 40425010) and the German Research Foundation (DFG, Research Unit No. 536, “Matter Fluxes in grasslands of Inner Mongolia as influenced by stocking rate”, MAGIM). Further support was provided by the Helmholtz-CSC stipend program and the Helmholtz-funded joint laboratory ENTRANCE of IMK-IFU and IAP-CAS. Thanks are also due to IMGRS of CERN and the staffs from IAP, IB and IMK-IFU for their help in field experiments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Weiwei Chen & Xunhua Zheng

  2. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), 82467, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    Benjamin Wolf, Nicolas Brüggemann & Klaus Butterbach-Bahl

Authors
  1. Weiwei Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Benjamin Wolf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nicolas Brüggemann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xunhua Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xunhua Zheng.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Per Ambus.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, W., Wolf, B., Brüggemann, N. et al. Annual emissions of greenhouse gases from sheepfolds in Inner Mongolia. Plant Soil 340, 291–301 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0367-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0367-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation