Agriculture — Manure applied to Soils Emissions
| Object type | Damage Signal |
|---|---|
| SIGNAL Earth ID | DS-00883 |
| Observable type | — |
| Unit | — |
| Temporal structure | — |
| Monitoring backbone | — |
Agriculture — Manure applied to Soils Emissions refer to the release of methane gas resulting from the application of animal manure to agricultural soils. This process is a significant component of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to atmospheric methane concentrations, a potent greenhouse gas influencing climate change. Understanding these emissions is essential for quantifying agriculture's role in global methane budgets and informing environmental assessments.
Manure applied to soils undergoes microbial decomposition under anaerobic conditions, producing methane that can be emitted to the atmosphere. These emissions vary depending on manure management practices, soil conditions, climate, and application methods. Monitoring and quantifying these emissions supports broader efforts to characterize anthropogenic sources of methane.
Within the context of global environmental monitoring, these emissions are recognized as a distinct phenomenon within agricultural systems, linking agricultural practices to atmospheric methane dynamics and climate interactions.
Geographic / System Context
[edit]Manure applied to soils emissions occur globally wherever animal manure is used as a fertilizer in agricultural lands. This includes diverse agroecosystems ranging from temperate croplands to tropical farming regions. The spatial distribution of these emissions is influenced by livestock density, manure management practices, soil types, and climatic conditions. While emissions are not confined to a specific geographic region, they are closely tied to agricultural production systems worldwide.
Monitoring and Measurement
[edit]Monitoring of manure applied to soils emissions involves a combination of field measurements, remote sensing, and modeling approaches. Field studies measure methane fluxes using chamber methods and micrometeorological techniques to capture emissions from manure-amended soils. These measurements are often integrated with data on manure nitrogen content, application rates, and soil characteristics. Global datasets, such as gridded manure nitrogen production and application inventories, support Earth system modeling and emission estimation. Institutions involved in monitoring include agricultural research organizations and environmental agencies that develop emission factors and inventories for greenhouse gas reporting.
Within the SIGNAL system, this phenomenon is treated as a defined environmental signal whose boundaries and measurement conventions are described below.
Signal Definition
[edit]The signal represents methane emissions generated from the microbial decomposition of animal manure applied to soils in agricultural settings. It quantifies the release of methane gas to the atmosphere attributable specifically to manure application practices, distinguishing it from other methane sources such as enteric fermentation or manure storage emissions.
Boundary Conditions
[edit]Boundary inclusions encompass all methane emissions resulting directly from the application of animal manure to soils, including emissions from both solid and liquid manure types under typical agricultural management practices. Boundary exclusions comprise methane emissions from manure storage facilities, enteric fermentation in livestock, and synthetic fertilizer applications. Emissions from natural soil processes unrelated to manure application are also excluded.
Aggregation Semantics
[edit]Geographically, emissions are aggregated across agricultural land areas receiving manure application, often represented in gridded spatial datasets at resolutions such as 5 arcminutes. Temporally, aggregation can occur over seasonal, annual, or multi-year periods to capture variability in manure application timing and environmental conditions. Cross-signal aggregation involves integrating these emissions with other agricultural greenhouse gas sources, such as anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions, to assess total agricultural contributions to atmospheric methane and related climate impacts.
Observational Status
[edit]Current observational data for manure applied to soils emissions are derived primarily from empirical field studies and global manure nitrogen application datasets. These data support emission factor development and Earth system modeling efforts. However, uncertainties remain due to variability in manure management and environmental conditions. Future SIGNAL releases may incorporate improved spatial and temporal resolution data, enhanced measurement methodologies, and integration with broader agricultural emission inventories to refine emission estimates.
Related Signals
[edit]- Anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions
Key Associated People
[edit]- Bowen Zhang — Auburn University [Source author; High]
- Yong Hou — Wageningen University [Source author; High]
Inclusion reflects material contribution to the scientific understanding of this damage signal; it does not imply review, endorsement, or affiliation with SIGNAL Earth.
Sources
[edit]- Global manure nitrogen production and application in cropland during 1860–2014: a 5 arcmin gridded global dataset for Earth system modeling — 2017. [Dataset; Anchor; High]
- A synthetic analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from manure amended agricultural soils in China — Scientific Reports, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07793-6. [Paper; Supporting; High]
- Mitigation of ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane emissions from manure management chains: a meta-analysis and integrated assessment — Global Change Biology, 2015. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12767. [Paper; Supporting; High]
- Effect of manure application technique on nitrous oxide emission from agricultural soils — Alterra Report, 2010. [Report; Supporting; Medium]