Affiliations: Earth Science Center, Gothenburg University,
Sweden | Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing
100081, China | Laboratory for Climate Studies/National Climate
Center, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081, China | Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Abstract: A biogeochemical model (DNDC) is combined with a plant ecological
model to estimate N_2O emission from rice paddy fields in
the Yangtze River Delta region. The model is driven by local meteorological,
soil, and physiological data and is validated for 1999 and 2000 at a site in
the region, which showed that the simulated N_2O emissions
agree fairly well with the observed data. This adds some confidence in the
estimated N_2O emissions during 1950 and 2000 in the
Hangzhou Region. A significant correlation between the N_2O
emissions and the population for the Hangzhou Region is found, which is due to
a combination of increased application of fertilizers and cultivated area. Such
a correlation can not be established for the whole Yangtze River Delta region
when the data of both urban and rural areas are included. However, when the
data from the heavily urbanized areas are excluded, a significant correlation
between population and N_2O emissions emerges. The results
show clearly that both the temporal and the spatial N_2O
emissions have significant positive relationship with population under
traditional farming practice. These results have implications for suitable
mitigation options towards a sustainable agriculture and environment in this
region.
Keywords: simulation, temporal and spatial N[TeX:] _2O emissions, Yangtze River Delta, China
