N2O emissions and how they are affected by us
Here at VOLT, we work with volatile interactions such as emissions and how they are affected by environmental and anthropogenic changes, as well as how they may affect their environment and contribute to climate change.
N2O (nitrous oxide) is a product of denitrification where NO3 or NO2 is reduced to N2O in anoxic or low oxygen concentrations thus being released into the atmosphere. In some places N2O emissions have doubled during the past couple of decades, which is critical due to the fact that it is a very potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. In this new paper by VOLT the global emission of N2O and how humans affect it is highlighted.
Around 2/3 of the planet is covered with oceans; these contribute to around 1/4 of N2O emissions, while the land parts contribute to 3/4 of the emissions. The main producers of N2O are the bacteria in the soil; the production is influenced by different conditions such as moisture, temperature and acidity. However, the production and therefore emissions can also be greatly influenced by anthropogenic activities such as agriculture.
Agriculture plays a major role in the high N2O emissions – not only does the high usage of fertilizers, which cannot be taken up by plants and soil, cause nitrate leakage, it also increases N2O production and emission. Yet, this is not the only factor affecting the N2O emissions as the type of crop planted also has an effect. For instance, palm oil plantations have much higher emissions than other crops consequently the emissions can be reduced if these palm oil plantations were to be replaced with rapeseed and sunflower. Conversely, root vegetables and cabbages emit much less N2O compared to other crops.
It is important to highlight that N2O emissions also happen from natural soils and ecosystems. 1/3 of the total global N2O emission comes from forests especially from the wet organic soils found in the tropics. These areas however also bring many benefits like oxygen production, biodiversity and are vital for the climate system. Therefore, the focus should be on reducing the N2O emissions from agriculture by using alternatives such as rapeseed or sunflower oil instead of palm oil thereby decreasing the greenhouse effect caused by N2O.