From research to policy: optimizing the design of a national monitoring system to mitigate soil nitrous oxide emissions

Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from agricultural soils are a key source of greenhouse gas emissions in most countries. In order for governments to effectively reduce N 2 O emissions, a national inventory system is needed for monitoring, reporting and verifying emissions that provides unbiased estimates with the highest precision feasible. Inventory frameworks could be advanced by incorporating experimental research networks targeting key gaps in process understanding and drivers of emissions, with a multistage survey to collect data on agricultural management and N 2 O fluxes that allow for development, parameterization and application of models to estimate national-scale emissions. Verification can be accomplished with independent estimation of fluxes from atmospheric N 2 O concentration data. A robust monitoring system would provide accurate emission estimates, and allow policymakers to develop programs to more sustainably manage reactive N and target mitigation measures for reducing N 2 O emissions from agricultural soils.

Improved accuracy and reduced uncertainty in greenhouse gas inventories by refining the IPCC emission factor for direct N2O emissions from nitrogen inputs to managed soils

“…Robust estimates of soil direct N 2 O emissions from agricultural soils are essential not only for global GHG emission assessments but also for evaluating progress in reducing emissions with mitigation programs (Ogle et al, 2020 ). The 2019 IPCC MR Tier 1 EF 1 offers the opportunity to improve the accuracy of global and country‐scale accounting of direct N 2 O emissions from agricultural soils using N consumption data disaggregated by climate and fertilizer form.…”

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Alternate Wetting and Drying for Rice Production at National Scale—A Modeling Case Study for the Philippines

“…In rice‐based cropping systems, process‐based models have previously been applied for GHG inventories (Katayanagi et al., 2017; Li et al., 2004; Matthews et al., 2000) and assessments of mitigation potentials (Begum et al., 2019; Cheng et al., 2014; Fumoto et al., 2009). At this point, however, their application as a standard tool integrated in national MRV (monitoring, reporting, and verification) systems is still in its infancy (Ogle et al., 2020).…”

Quantifying Nitrous Oxide Emissions in the U.S. Midwest: A Top‐Down Study Using High Resolution Airborne In‐Situ Observations

“…To cover the high temporal variability on various scales, long‐term projects with regular airborne measurements spanning wide areas of the Midwest are necessary. Combining a process‐based model like DayCent capable of simulating the temporal and spatial variability of N 2 O emissions, with extensive airborne and tall tower top‐down studies at selected spots and times, could be a cost‐effective approach that would limit the number of flights needed to produce accurate estimates for the region and improve national reporting of emissions (Ogle et al., 2020). As interest grows in expanding efforts to reduce N 2 O emissions (Kanter et al., 2020), improved quantification of N 2 O surface fluxes is mandatory for policy makers to be able to develop effective mitigation strategies.…”