Browsing by Author "Jacinthe, Pierre-André"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Biological potential and diffusion limitation of methane oxidation in no-till soils
    (2014-05-21) Prajapati, Prajaya; Wang, Xianzhong; Martin, Pamela; Jacinthe, Pierre-André
    Long term no-till (NT) farming can improve the CH4 oxidation capacity of agricultural lands through creation of a favorable soil environment for methanotrophs and diffusive gas transport. However, limited data is available to evaluate the merit of that contention. Although the potential for biological CH4 oxidation may exist in NT soils, restricted diffusion could limit expression of that potential in fine-textured soils. A study was conducted to assess the CH4 oxidation potential and gaseous diffusivity of soils under plow till (PT) and NT for > 50 years. Intact cores and composite soils samples (0-10 and 10-20 cm) were collected from NT and PT plots located at a well-drained site (Wooster silt loam) and at a poorly-drained (Crosby silt loam) site in Ohio. Adjacent deciduous forest soils were also sampled to determine maximum rate expected in undisturbed soils in the region. Regardless of study sites and soil depth, CH4 oxidation rate (measured at near ambient CH4) and oxidation potential (Vmax, measured at elevated CH4) were 3-4 and 1.5 times higher in NT than in PT soils, respectively. Activity in the NT soils approached (66-80 %) that in the forest soils. Half saturation constants (Km) and threshold for CH4 oxidation (Th) were lower in NT (Km: 100.5 µL CH4 L-1; Th: 0.5 µL CH4 L-1) than in PT soils (Km: 134 µL CH4 L-1; Th: 2.8 µL CH4 L-1) suggesting a greater affinity of long-term NT soils for CH4, and a possible shift in methanotrophic community composition. CH4 oxidation rates were lower in intact soil cores compared to sieved soils, suggesting that CH4 oxidation was limited by diffusion, a factor that could lead to lower field-measured CH4 uptake than suggested by biological oxidation capacity measured in the laboratory. Regardless of soil drainage characteristic, long-term NT resulted in significantly higher (2-3 times) CH4 diffusivity (mean: 2.5 x 10-3 cm2 s-1) than PT (1.5 x 10-3 cm2 s-1), probably due to improved soil aggregation and greater macro-pores volume in NT soils. Overall, these results confirm the positive impact of NT on the restoration of the biological (Vmax, Km and Th) and physical (diffusivity) soil attributes essential for CH4 uptake in croplands. Long-term implementation of NT farming can therefore contribute to the mitigation of CH4 emission from agriculture.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Nitrous oxide emission from riparian buffers in agricultural landscapes of Indiana
    (2014-02-25) Fisher, Katelin Rose; Babbar-Sebens, Meghna; Jacinthe, Pierre-André; Vidon, Philippe G.
    Riparian buffers have well documented capacity to remove nitrate (NO3-) from runoff and subsurface flow paths, but information on field-scale N2O emission from these buffers is lacking. This study monitored N2O fluxes at two agricultural riparian buffers in the White River watershed (Indiana) from December 2009 to May 2011 to assess the impact of landscape and hydrogeomorphologic factors on emission. Soil chemical and biochemical properties were measured and environmental variables (soil temperature and moisture) were monitored in an attempt to identify key drivers of N2O emission. The study sites included a mature riparian forest (WR) and a riparian grass buffer (LWD); adjacent corn fields were also monitored for land-use comparison. With the exception of net N mineralization, most soil properties (particle size, bulk density, pH, denitrification potential, organic carbon, C:N) showed little correlation with N2O emission. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified season, land-use (riparian buffer vs. crop field), and site geomorphology as major drivers of N2O emission. At both study sites, N2O emission showed strong seasonal variability; the largest emission peaks in the riparian buffers (up to 1,300 % increase) and crop fields (up to 3,500 % increase) occurred in late spring/early summer as a result of flooding, elevated soil moisture and N-fertilization. Nitrous oxide emission was found to be significantly higher in crop fields than in riparian buffers at both LWD (mean: 1.72 and 0.18 mg N2O-N m-2 d-1) and WR (mean: 0.72 and 1.26 mg N2O-N m-2 d-1, respectively). Significant difference (p=0.02) in N2O emission between the riparian buffers was detected, and this effect was attributed to site geomorphology and the greater potential for flooding at the WR site (no flooding occurred at LWD). More than previously expected, the study results demonstrate that N2O emission in riparian buffers is largely driven by landscape geomorphology and land-stream connection (flood potential).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Remote sensing & GIS applications for drainage detection and modeling in agricultural watersheds
    (2014-03-12) Roy, Samapriya; Li, Lin; Bayless, E. Randall (Edward Randall), 1961-; Jacinthe, Pierre-André
    The primary objective of this research involves mapping out and validating the existence of sub surface drainage tiles in a given cropland using Remote Sensing and GIS methodologies. The process is dependent on soil edge differentiation found in lighter versus darker IR reflectance values from tiled vs. untiled soils patches. Data is collected from various sources and a primary classifier is created using secondary field variables such as soil type, topography and land Use and land cover (LULC). The classifier mask reduces computational time and allows application of various filtering algorithms for detection of edges. The filtered image allows an efficient feature recognition platform allowing the tile drains to be better identified. User defined methods and natural vision based methodologies are also developed or adopted as novel techniques for edge detection. The generated results are validated with field data sets which were established using Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) studies. Overlay efficiency is calculated for each methodology along with omission and commission errors. This comparison yields adaptable and efficient edge detection techniques which can be used for similar areas allowing further development of the tile detection process.