Measurements and statistical analysis of CO2 efflux and related parameters from crop and forested lands

Abstract

The LULUCF sector (land use, land use change and forestry) can act as a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, either by increasing the removal of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere or by reducing their current emissions. This paper intends to analyze the results of the CO2 monitoring methodology by the chamber method in order to estimate the effect of different land use cover and management techniques. For this purpose, seasonal CO2 efflux field measurements were conducted in two types of ecosystems (forested land and wheat crop) located in the adjacent area of Bucharest. CO2 efflux was analysed for each land cover in relation to the physical characteristics of the soil, respectively soil temperatures and humidity, but also together with the main weather parameters. The measurements were performed simultaneously in both land covers at relevant time intervals. The difference in measured values between the two ecosystems was recorded but the results of the statistical analysis showed a lack of differences in the correlation between the CO2 efflux. This indicates that the CO2 efflux can be affected by particular elements of the environment which facilitates differences in soil temperature and humidity in the same weather conditions.