Analysis of Research Trends in Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Upland in Korea

Abstract

Global climate change, especially global warming is considered as threat to our future and posterity. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are the main causes of global warming. The Korean government has set a goal to cut the carbon emissions by 37% based on business-as-usual levels by 2030. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), agricultural sector is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. In this regard, it is common belief that reducing of such emission is of great significance to global climate change. In Korea, upland is one of the main sources of agricultural N2O emission. In order to analyze domestic research trends related to N2O emissions in the upland, 53 academic publications from 2009 to September 2019 were critically reviewed. The results were classified according to the research purposes. Reduction technologies of N2O emission account for approximately 28.3%. N2O characteristics and assessment for 24.5%, development of N2O emission factors for 22.6%, and N2O inventory assessment for 20.8% etc. Biochar, green manure, no tillage, and inhibitor were studied as a means of reducing N2O release. The optimum technologies to reduce N2O emission in Korea were discussed and proposed through the previous researches. Main mitigation measures for nitrous oxide emission. Mitigation measures Mitigation effects Data source Adding biochar 24.6% Seo et al., 2012 -23.8% to 41.4% Park et al., 2014b 16.4% to 20.6% Kim et al., 2014c -24.6% to 48.3% Park et al., 2015 12.3% to 39.3% Park et al., 2016b -74.0% to -9.0% Lee et al., 2017b 31.9% to 48.1% Lee et al., 2017a 81.8% to 86.9% Lee et al., 2018b Adding green manure 19.2% to 71.3% Kim et al., 2011b 38.6% Seo et al., 2012 4.7% to 17.6% Yoo et al., 2015 -17.0% to -3.8% Yoo et al., 2016 44.9% to 56.2% Kim et al., 2018a No tillage 7.3% to 62.4% Kim et al., 2011b 15.2% to 28.6% Yoo et al., 2015 5.7% to 35.7% Yoo et al., 2016 Adding inhibitor 18.4% to 78.5% Ju et al., 2018 Adding slow release fertilizer 56.2% to 64.3% Kim et al., 2018a Water management 13.2% to 40.2% Kim et al., 2014a