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Title:
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Indirect N2O emission due to atmospheric N deposition for the Netherlands
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Author(s):
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Bleeker, A.; Denier van der Gon, H.
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Published by:
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Publication date:
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ECN
Biomass, Coal and Environmental Research
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1-10-2005
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ECN report number:
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Document type:
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ECN-RX--05-161
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Other
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Number of pages:
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Full text:
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12
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Download PDF
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Abstract:
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas produced insoils and aquatic systems. The UNFCCC requires participants to report
?indirect? N2O emissions, following from agricultural N losses
to ground- and surface water and N deposition on (other) ecosystems
due to agricultural sources. Indirect N2O emission due to
atmospheric N deposition is presently not reported by the Netherlands.
In this paper, we quantify the consequences of various tiers to estimate
indirect N2O due to deposition for a country with a high
agricultural N use and discuss the reliability and potential errors
in the IPCC methodology. A literature review suggests that the current
IPCC default emission factor for indirect N2O from N deposition
is underestimated by a factor 
2. Moreover, considering anthropogenic N emissions from agriculture
only and not from e.g., traffic and industry, results in further underestimation
of indirect N2O emissions. We calculated indirect N2O
emissions due to Dutch anthropogenic N emissions to air by using official
Dutch N emission data as input in an atmospheric transport and deposition
model in combination with land use databases. Next, land use-specific
emission factors were used to estimate the indirect N2O emission.
This revealed that (1) for some countries, like the Netherlands, most
agricultural N emitted will be deposited on agricultural soils, not
on natural ecosystems and, (2) indirect N2O emissions are
at least 20% higher because more specific emission factors can be applied
that are higher than the IPCC default. The results suggest that indirect
N2O emission due to deposition is underestimated in current
N2O budgets.
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