Publication Date
1989
Description
There is considerable interest in monitoring flows of nitrogen (N) through various parts of grassland systems. Until recent developments in methodology it had been particularly difficult to assess the contribution of NH3 volatilisation to N cycling. Emission rates for NH3 over Europe are thought to have increased by 50 % over the past 30-40 years and to arise largely from livestock excreta. This occurs after the hydrolysis of excreted urea and, with cattle, takes place directly from grazed swards, animal houses (during overwintering) and stored or applied slurry. As well as the economic losses, NH3 fluxes have important environmental consequences in atmospheric chemistry and, subsequently, in increasing eutrophication and soil acidification. The present paper summarises recent research at IGAP, Hurley, in which mass-balance micrometeorological methods have been used to establish NH3 losses from swards either grazed by cattle or treated with slurry.
Citation
Jarvis, S C.; Pain, B F.; Hatch, D J.; and Thompson, R B., "Ammonia Volatilisation and Loss from Grassland Systems" (2025). IGC Proceedings (1989-2023). 25.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1989/session2/25
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Ammonia Volatilisation and Loss from Grassland Systems
There is considerable interest in monitoring flows of nitrogen (N) through various parts of grassland systems. Until recent developments in methodology it had been particularly difficult to assess the contribution of NH3 volatilisation to N cycling. Emission rates for NH3 over Europe are thought to have increased by 50 % over the past 30-40 years and to arise largely from livestock excreta. This occurs after the hydrolysis of excreted urea and, with cattle, takes place directly from grazed swards, animal houses (during overwintering) and stored or applied slurry. As well as the economic losses, NH3 fluxes have important environmental consequences in atmospheric chemistry and, subsequently, in increasing eutrophication and soil acidification. The present paper summarises recent research at IGAP, Hurley, in which mass-balance micrometeorological methods have been used to establish NH3 losses from swards either grazed by cattle or treated with slurry.
