Abstract
Undisturbed grasslands can sequester significant quantities of organic carbon (OC) in soils. Irrigation and fertilization enhance CO2 sequestration in managed turfgrass ecosystems but can also increase emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). To better understand the GHG balance of urban turf, we measured OC sequestration rates and emission of N2O (a GHG ∼ 300 times more effective than CO2) in Southern California, USA. We also estimated CO2 emissions generated by fuel combustion, fertilizer production, and irrigation. We show that turf emits significant quantities of N2O (0.1–0.3 g N m−2 yr−1) associated with frequent fertilization. In ornamental lawns this is offset by OC sequestration (140 g C m−2 yr−1), while in athletic fields, there is no OC sequestration because of frequent surface restoration. Large indirect emissions of CO2 associated with turfgrass management make it clear that OC sequestration by turfgrass cannot mitigate GHG emissions in cities.
Highlights
[2] Photosynthetic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) can be accompanied by longer-term storage of organic carbon (OC) in soils in undisturbed grasslands [Matson et al, 1997; McLauchlan, 2006]
The difference in initial conditions can be attributed to the establishment method for the different turf types, as lawns and athletic fields at each point in Figure 1 are located in the same park and on the same parent material
Athletic fields are constructed from imported turfgrass sods that add allochthonous OC to the system, are renovated extensively every year, including tilling and re-sodding to replace dead grass, and frequent aeration to offset compaction, similar to practices employed in conventional agriculture which disrupt soil OC accumulation [Matson et al, 1997; McLauchlan 2006]
Summary
[2] Photosynthetic uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) can be accompanied by longer-term storage of organic carbon (OC) in soils in undisturbed grasslands [Matson et al, 1997; McLauchlan, 2006]. In order to estimate the net GWP of urban turf, we measured OC sequestration rates and N2O emissions in ornamental lawns and athletic fields in four parks in Southern California, USA. The difference in initial conditions can be attributed to the establishment method for the different turf types, as lawns and athletic fields at each point in Figure 1 are located in the same park and on the same parent material.
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