Particulate-matter emission estimates from agricultural spring-tillage operations using LIDAR and inverse modeling

Abstract

Abstract. Particulate-matter (PM) emissions from a typical spring agricultural tillage sequence and a strip-till conservation tillage sequence in California's San Joaquin Valley were estimated to calculate the emissions control efficiency (η) of the strip-till conservation management practice (CMP). Filter-based PM samplers, PM-calibrated optical particle counters (OPCs), and a PM-calibrated light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system were used to monitored upwind and downwind PM concentrations during May and June 2008. Emission rates were estimated through inverse modeling coupled with the filter and OPC measurements and through applying a mass balance to the PM concentrations derived from LIDAR data. Sampling irregularities and errors prevented the estimation of emissions from 42% of the sample periods based on filter samples. OPC and LIDAR datasets were sufficiently complete to estimate emissions and the strip-till CMP η, which were ∼90% for all size fractions in both datasets. Tillage time was also reduced by 84%. Calculated emissions for some operations were within the range of values found in published studies, while other estimates were significantly higher than literature values. The results demonstrate that both PM emissions and tillage time may be reduced by an order of magnitude through the use of a strip-till conservation tillage CMP when compared to spring tillage activities.

PM emissions from open field crop management: Emission factors, assessment methods and mitigation measures – A review

“…In recent years, the LiDAR technology has become an important tool for EF estimation, especially during experimental trials, being often used as reference method to evaluate models (Moore et al, 2015;Wang et al, 2009). The main negative aspects of this evaluation technique are linked to its costs and to its complexity in terms of instrument use and calibration requirements.…”

Nitrogen Isotopes Reveal High NOx Emissions from Arid Agricultural Soils in the Salton Sea Air Basin

“…24 Tillage is often required for agricultural production in sandy soils, which can result in structural damage to the soil, leading to compacted soils that are difficult to cultivate when dry, as well as entrainment of particulate matter. [24][25][26] Hard-setting soils have high soil strength that is not suitable for root growth or shoot development. Consequently, this requires frequent soil-wetting through irrigation practices, especially in summer months when temperatures regularly exceed 35°C; these dry, hot conditions and changes in volumetric soil moisture (VSM) may lead to large, transient soil NOx emissions (Figs.…”

Detection and quantification of water-based aerosols using active open-path FTIR

“…One of the ground-based devices that have great potential is the light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, which has the ability to quantify aerosols and to determine their size distribution. In recent studies 11 12 , it was demonstrated that LIDAR ground measurements allowed the estimation of drift of particulate matter emitted during agricultural operations. Another technique that has shown great potential for monitoring aerosols is Open Path Fourier Transform Infra-Red (OP-FTIR) spectroscopy.…”