title: Measurement of greenhouse gas flux from agricultural soils using static chambers.
abstract: Measurement of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes between the soil and the atmosphere, in both managed and unmanaged ecosystems, is critical to understanding the biogeochemical drivers of climate change and to the development and evaluation of GHG mitigation strategies based on modulation of landscape management practices. The static chamber-based method described here is based on trapping gases emitted from the soil surface within a chamber and collecting samples from the chamber headspace at regular intervals for analysis by gas chromatography. Change in gas concentration over time is used to calculate flux. This method can be utilized to measure landscape-based flux of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, and to estimate differences between treatments or explore system dynamics over seasons or years. Infrastructure requirements are modest, but a comprehensive experimental design is essential. This method is easily deployed in the field, conforms to established guidelines, and produces data suitable to large-scale GHG emissions studies.
authors.affiliation: Office of Sustainability, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Department of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ruark
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Lawrence G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Oates
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Dairy Forage Research Center.
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Jokela
authors.affiliation: USDA-ARS Pasture Systems Watershed Management Research Unit; curtis.dell@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Curtis J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Dell
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D008697:Methane / Q000032:analysis*; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D009609:Nitrous Oxide; D008697:Methane