Grazing management contributions to net global warming potential: a long-term evaluation in the Northern Great Plains
Abstract
The role of grassland ecosystems as net sinks or sources of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is limited by a paucity of information regarding management impacts on the flux of nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and methane (CH(4)). Furthermore, no long-term evaluation of net global warming potential (GWP) for grassland ecosystems in the northern Great Plains (NGP) of North America has been reported. Given this need, we sought to determine net GWP for three grazing management systems located within the NGP. Grazing management systems included two native vegetation pastures (moderately grazed pasture [MGP], heavily grazed pasture [HGP]) and a heavily grazed crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex. Link) Schult.] pasture (CWP) near Mandan, ND. Factors evaluated for their contribution to GWP included (i) CO(2) emissions associated with N fertilizer production and application, (ii) literature-derived estimates of CH(4) production for enteric fermentation, (iii) change in soil organic carbon (SOC) over 44 yr using archived soil samples, and (iv) soil-atmosphere N(2)O and CH(4) fluxes over 3 yr using static chamber methodology. Analysis of SOC indicated all pastures to be significant sinks for SOC, with sequestration rates ranging from 0.39 to 0.46 Mg C ha(-1) yr(-1). All pastures were minor sinks for CH(4) (<2.0 kg CH(4)-C ha(-1) yr(-1)). Greater N inputs within CWP contributed to annual N(2)O emission nearly threefold greater than HGP and MGP. Due to differences in stocking rate, CH(4) prod…
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Soil carbon sequestration is a critical ecosystem service of grasslands that can be maximized using best management practices for livestock grazing.
“Soil C sequestration is a critical ecosystem service of grasslands, which can be maximized using best management practices for livestock grazing”
From Impacts of soil carbon sequestration on life cycle greenhouse gas emissions in Midwestern USA beef finishing systems (2018) · cites this paper as Liebig et al., 2010
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“Soil C sequestration is a critical ecosystem service of grasslands, which can be maximized using best management practices for livestock grazing (Griscom et al., 2017; Liebig et al., 2010; McSherry and Ritchie, 2013; Wang et al., 2015).”
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- Authors
- Liebig, M. A., Gross, J. R., Kronberg, S. L., & Phillips, R. L.
- Affiliations
- Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (US)
- Corresponding author
- Liebig, M. A.
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Quality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2010-05
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 799-809
- ISSN
- 0047-2425 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-2537
- OpenAlex
- W2070534084
- Cited by
- 149
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 21.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Quality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Forestry › Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Keywords
- grazing management, net global warming potential, nitrous oxide emissions, methane emissions, soil organic carbon sequestration, stocking rate, enteric methane, Northern Great Plains
- MeSH terms
- Methanol, Animals, Animal Husbandry, Carbon, Carbon Dioxide, Cattle, Environmental Monitoring, Poaceae, Nitrogen, Nitrous Oxide, Rain, Soil, Sunlight, Temperature, Time Factors, Ecosystem, Global Warming
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