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Trace Gas Manitoba (TGAS MAN) Greenhouse Gas Field Emission and Weather Monitoring Site

TGAS MAN represents the only site in Western Canada supporting the technology for continuous year-round measurement of nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural fields. This site also contains intensive weather monitoring equipment for year-round data on air temperature, soil temperature to 100cm, soil moisture, precipitation, humidity, solar flux and wind speed.

TGAS MAN Site

Weather Monitoring Sites

TGAS MAN Site

Goal – to provide a location in Western Canada determining soil greenhouse gas budget of perennial and annual cropping systems as affected by manure application.

view as a downloadable pdf

What are the Issues?
  • Our concerns about global climate change are caused by the observed and predicted increases in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere
  • The main greenhouse gases (GHG) of concern are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)
  • Agriculture is responsible for about 10% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions, but this includes more than half of the N2O emissions, and about 1/3 of the CH4 emissions
  • CH4 is mostly from livestock, but nitrous oxide is mostly from losses from fields associated with our need to apply fertilizers and manure to maintain productivity
  • N2O has a greenhouse gas potential that is 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide
  • Reducing N2O emissions saves money and benefits the environment
  • Crop selection choices impacts soil C sequestration. Perennial crops may store carbon and when included in rotations allow creation of GHG neutral production systems

    • What are we doing?

  • Quantify emissions of N2O and CH4- determine how emissions relate to climate, soil type, cropping system and form of nitrogen application
  • Direct measurement method using tunable diode laser instrument: measure direct emissions from the field continuously

    • What will be the outcome?

  • Continuous measurements tell us what is really happening: N2O emissions are episodic with the high emissions occurring during fertilization and precipitation events, the annual rotation is losing carbon
  • But what are the biological processes controlling this, and can we change them?
  • Do perennial cropping systems reduce GHG emissions?
  • How rapid are benefits of perennial cropping to GHG reductions and soil health?
  • Does the benefit of perennial cropping carry into the conversion phase to annual cropping?

    • Who supports this research?

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation for NCLE
  • National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant Program and Canada Research Chair Program in Applied Soil Ecology, Canadian Fertilizer Institute, Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

    • Personnel Training

    Tek Sapkota (Ph.D. candidate)
    Jenna Rapai (technician)

    For more information, contact:

    Dr. Mario Tenuta (Soil Science), 474-7827, mario_tenuta@ umanitoba.ca
    Dr. Brian Amiro (Soil Science), 474-9155, brian_amiro@umanitoba.ca

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    Weather Monitoring Sites

    NCLE TGAS MAN Site at Glenlea

    For a description of the variety of weather information collected at the Glenlea Research Station, read this pdf.

    View archive weather data for the NCLE TGAS MAN Site at Glenlea 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 (daily),
    2009 (30 min.)    , 2010 (daily), 2010 (30 min.), 2011 (daily; Jan-April), 2011 (30 min; Jan-April). Supporting information regarding data points dating back to 2005 can be found in the 'Read me' file.

     

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