Modelling nitrous oxide emissions from mown-grass and grain-cropping systems: Testing and sensitivity analysis of DailyDayCent using high frequency measurements

TY - JOUR

T1 - Modelling nitrous oxide emissions from mown-grass and grain-cropping systems

T2 - Testing and sensitivity analysis of DailyDayCent using high frequency measurements

AU - Senapati, Nimai

AU - Chabbi, Abad

AU - Giostri, André Faé

AU - Yeluripati, Jagadeesh

AU - Smith, Pete

N1 - The lead author, Nimai Senapati (Post doc), was funded by the European community’s Seventh Framework programme (FP2012-2015) under grant agreement no. 262060 (ExpeER). The research leading to these results has received funding principally from the ANR (ANR-11-INBS-0001), AllEnvi, CNRS-INSU. We would like to thank the National Research Infrastructure ‘Agro-écosystèmes, Cycles Biogéochimique et Biodiversité (SOERE-ACBB http://www.soere-acbb.com/fr/) for their support in field experiment. We are deeply indebted to Christophe deBerranger, Xavier Charrier for their substantial technical assistance and Patricia Laville for her valuables suggestion regarding N2O flux estimation.

PY - 2016/12

Y1 - 2016/12

N2 - The DailyDayCent biogeochemical model was used to simulate nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from two contrasting agro-ecosystems viz. a mown-grassland and a grain-cropping system in France. Model performance was tested using high frequency measurements over three years; additionally a local sensitivity analysis was performed. Annual N2O emissions of 1.97 and 1.24 kg N ha− 1 year− 1 were simulated from mown-grassland and grain-cropland, respectively. Measured and simulated water filled pore space (r = 0.86, ME = − 2.5%) and soil temperature (r = 0.96, ME = − 0.63 °C) at 10 cm soil depth matched well in mown-grassland. The model predicted cumulative hay and crop production effectively. The model simulated soil mineral nitrogen (N) concentrations, particularly ammonium (NH4+), reasonably, but the model significantly underestimated soil nitrate (NO3−) concentration under both systems. In general, the model effectively simulated the dynamics and the magnitude of daily N2O flux over the whole experimental period in grain-cropland (r = 0.16, ME = − 0.81 g N ha− 1 day− 1), with reasonable agreement between measured and modelled N2O fluxes for the mown-grassland (r = 0.63, ME = − 0.65 g N ha− 1 day− 1). Our results indicate that DailyDayCent has potential for use as a tool for predicting overall N2O emissions in the study region. However, in-depth analysis shows some systematic discrepancies between measured and simulated N2O fluxes on a daily basis. The current exercise suggests that the DailyDayCent may need improvement, particularly the sub-module responsible for N transformations, for better simulating soil mineral N, especially soil NO3− concentration, and N2O flux on a daily basis. The sensitivity analysis shows that many factors such as climate change, N-fertilizer use, input uncertainty and parameter value could influence the simulation of N2O emissions. Sensitivity estimation also helped to identify critical parameters, which need careful estimation or site-specific calibration for successful modelling of N2O emissions in the study region.

AB - The DailyDayCent biogeochemical model was used to simulate nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from two contrasting agro-ecosystems viz. a mown-grassland and a grain-cropping system in France. Model performance was tested using high frequency measurements over three years; additionally a local sensitivity analysis was performed. Annual N2O emissions of 1.97 and 1.24 kg N ha− 1 year− 1 were simulated from mown-grassland and grain-cropland, respectively. Measured and simulated water filled pore space (r = 0.86, ME = − 2.5%) and soil temperature (r = 0.96, ME = − 0.63 °C) at 10 cm soil depth matched well in mown-grassland. The model predicted cumulative hay and crop production effectively. The model simulated soil mineral nitrogen (N) concentrations, particularly ammonium (NH4+), reasonably, but the model significantly underestimated soil nitrate (NO3−) concentration under both systems. In general, the model effectively simulated the dynamics and the magnitude of daily N2O flux over the whole experimental period in grain-cropland (r = 0.16, ME = − 0.81 g N ha− 1 day− 1), with reasonable agreement between measured and modelled N2O fluxes for the mown-grassland (r = 0.63, ME = − 0.65 g N ha− 1 day− 1). Our results indicate that DailyDayCent has potential for use as a tool for predicting overall N2O emissions in the study region. However, in-depth analysis shows some systematic discrepancies between measured and simulated N2O fluxes on a daily basis. The current exercise suggests that the DailyDayCent may need improvement, particularly the sub-module responsible for N transformations, for better simulating soil mineral N, especially soil NO3− concentration, and N2O flux on a daily basis. The sensitivity analysis shows that many factors such as climate change, N-fertilizer use, input uncertainty and parameter value could influence the simulation of N2O emissions. Sensitivity estimation also helped to identify critical parameters, which need careful estimation or site-specific calibration for successful modelling of N2O emissions in the study region.

KW - DailyDayCent

KW - Modelling nitrous oxide

KW - Mown-grassland

KW - Grain-cropland

KW - Sensitivity analysis

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.226

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.226

M3 - Article

VL - 572

SP - 955

EP - 977

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

SN - 0048-9697

ER -