{"id":3303,"date":"2018-07-23T08:04:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T06:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nilu.gnist.dev\/?p=3303"},"modified":"2018-07-23T08:04:32","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T06:04:32","slug":"setting-up-the-laughing-gas-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nilu.gnist.dev\/en\/2018\/07\/setting-up-the-laughing-gas-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting up the \u201claughing gas\u201d budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Besides being an important greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide or N2<\/sub>O is also one of the main ozone depleting substances in the atmosphere, since the Montr\u00e9al protocol put a stop to the use of chlorofluoro\u00adcarbons (CFCs). Thus, it is important to know as much as possible about all the processes producing N2<\/sub>O.<\/p>\n

Covering all angles<\/h2>\n
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Senior scientist Rona L. Thompson co-leads the N2O budget of the Global Carbon Project. Photo: Ingar N\u00e6ss<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rona L. Thompson is a senior scientist at NILU\u2019s deptartment of atmosphere and climate, and co-leads the N2<\/sub>O budget of the Global Carbon Project.<\/p>\n

\u2013 I was asked to co-lead this new activity in December 2015, she says, \u2013 and we started working on it the following year. My part is related to atmospheric observations and modelling of N2<\/sub>O.<\/p>\n

Other scientists involved with the project work on agricultural emissions, natural emissions, wastewater emissions, and other aspects of the budget \u2013 namely, accounting for all N2<\/sub>O emissions, sinks and changes.<\/p>\n

Fertilisers are the main source<\/h2>\n

\u2013 The use of fertilisers in agriculture is the main source of nitrous oxide today, explains Thompson. \u2013 If we can decrease the use of nitrogen fertilisers, we would also see a decrease of N2<\/sub>O in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

However, it is not so easy to reduce the use of nitrogen fertilisers, as they are necessary to grow enough food. In well-developed countries, farmers are now trying to use fertilisers more efficiently, managing to maintain or even increase crop yields with less. This is not the case in several emerging economies, such as in Asia, where the use of fertilisers is rising while the efficiency is going down.<\/p>\n

Making N2O visible to the world<\/h2>\n

At the end of 2017, the project group has finished gathering data and estimates for all aspects of the N2<\/sub>O budget.<\/p>\n

\u2013 We are now starting to look at how it all fits together, Thompson says, \u2013 checking how the atmospheric increase in N2<\/sub>O matches up with all the emissions and sinks. We are also planning to publish scientific articles as well as put all the results in the form of interactive graphics on the Global Carbon Project website, making it possible to view N2<\/sub>O emissions globally and regionally.<\/p>\n

Read NILU’s annual report 2017 here:<\/h2>\n

Annual report 2017<\/a><\/p>\n

Read the annual report online here (www.issuu.com):<\/strong><\/p>\n