Abstract
The major greenhouse gases emitted by soils are CO2, CH4, N2O, NO and CO. The annual rise of atmospheric CO2concentration is 0.5%. Different modelling approaches of the biosphere are compared. The biosphere is at present a small sink of CO2due to stimulation of growth by CO2. Continued global forest clearing will reduce this absorbing capacity. The CH4concentration is rising with 1.1% per year, caused mainly by increasing areas of rice paddies, production of human wastes, numbers of ruminants, biomass burning and increasing nonbiogenic sources. Atmospheric CO is rising at a rate of 2 to 6% per year. Its major biogenic sources are biomass burning and vegetation. Soils act as a sink of CO. Its increase however, is caused mainly by oxidation of atmospheric methane and other hydrocarbons. The major biogenic sources of N2O and NO are soils (natural and cultivated), oceans and biomass burning. The increase of atmospheric N2O and NO is probably due to the increasing area of cultivated land and the global upward trend in the use of chemical fertilizers.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 13-19 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Nov 1989 |
Keywords
- carbon dioxide
- carbon monoxide
- methane
- nitric oxide
- nitrogen oxide
- air pollution
- greenhouse effect
- land use
- soil
- theoretical study