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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #227851
Title: Continuously measured annual ammonia emissions from Southern High Plains beef cattle feedyards

Author
item Todd, Richard
item Cole, Noel
item PARKER, DAVID - WEST TEXAS A&M UNIV
item CASEY, KEN - TX AGRILIFE RESEARCH

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/30/2008
Publication Date: 10/5/2008
Citation: Todd, R.W., Cole, N.A., Parker, D.B., Casey, K.D. 2008. Continuously measured annual ammonia emissions from Southern High Plains beef cattle feedyards [abstract]. 2008 Joint Meeting of American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, and Crop Science Society of America, October 5-9, 2008, Houston, Texas. Paper No. 533-10. 2008 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The magnitude of ammonia emissions from beef cattle feedyards varies with season during the year, but studies of continuous measurement of ammonia emissions throughout the year are rare. The quantification of annual ammonia emissions will improve emission factors, provide databases that can be used to verify process models of ammonia emissions, and elucidate the effects of changing climatic variables on emisisons. Our objective was to quantify daily ammonia emissions from two feedyards over the course of a year. Feedyards were instrumented with continuously operated tuned diode open path lasers and chemiluminescence sensors used to measure atmospheric ammonia concentration and 3-D sonic anemometers used to measure atmospheric turbulence. An inverse dispersion model quantified ammonia emissions using measured concentrations and turbulence statistics and other variables as model inputs. Daily and mean monthly ammonia emissions and emission factors were reported for a calendar year. Emissions were correlated with climatic and feedyard management factors.