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© 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

U.S. rice paddies, critical for food security, are increasingly contributing to non-CO2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Yet, the full assessment of GHG balance, considering trade-offs between soil organic carbon (SOC) change and non-CO2 GHG emissions, is lacking. Integrating an improved agroecosystem model with a meta-analysis of multiple field studies, we found that U.S. rice paddies were the rapidly growing net GHG emission sources, increased 138% from 3.7 ± 1.2 Tg CO2eq yr−1 in the 1960s to 8.9 ± 2.7 Tg CO2eq yr−1 in the 2010s. CH4, as the primary contributor, accounted for 10.1 ± 2.3 Tg CO2eq yr−1 in the 2010s, alongside a notable rise in N2O emissions by 0.21 ± 0.03 Tg CO2eq yr−1. SOC change could offset 14.0% (1.45 ± 0.46 Tg CO2eq yr−1) of the climate-warming effects of soil non-CO2 GHG emissions in the 2010s. This escalation in net GHG emissions is linked to intensified land use, increased atmospheric CO2, higher synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and manure application, and climate change. However, no/reduced tillage and non-continuous irrigation could reduce net soil GHG emissions by approximately 10% and non-CO2 GHG emissions by about 39%, respectively. Despite the rise in net GHG emissions, the cost of achieving higher rice yields has decreased over time, with an average of 0.84 ± 0.18 kg CO2eq ha−1 emitted per kilogram of rice produced in the 2010s. The study suggests the potential for significant GHG emission reductions to achieve climate-friendly rice production in the U.S. through optimizing the ratio of synthetic N to manure fertilizer, reducing tillage, and implementing intermittent irrigation.

Details

Title
Balancing Non-CO2 GHG Emissions and Soil Carbon Change in U.S. Rice Paddies: A Retrospective Meta-Analysis and Agricultural Modeling Study
Author
Zhang, Jingting 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tian, Hanqin 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; You, Yongfa 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Xin-Zhong, Liang 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ouyang, Zutao 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pan, Naiqing 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pan, Shufen 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 
 Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA 
 Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA 
 Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 
 College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA 
 Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Department of Engineering, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA 
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Feb 2024
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
e-ISSN
2576604X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2931542687
Copyright
© 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.