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This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-CCg Carlos Casares grassland. Site Description - This tower is located in a lot dedicated to livestock, within an agricultural establishment. The vegetation is an 8-year-old implanted pasture and grazing is rotational.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Jo1 Jornada Experimental Range Bajada Site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Jo1 Jornada Experimental Range Bajada Site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Jornada Basin Experimental Range (JER) covers 783 km2 in the La Jornada del Muerto Plain of the northern Chihuahuan Desert and is located 20km of Las Cruces, NM. Extensive livestock grazing at the JER and througout the US Southwest was coincident with large-scale grassland deterioration and transition to shrubland begining in the 1800s. The JER was established n 1912 to investigate these rangeland changes and has since become a central location for understanding dryland ecology. This flux tower monitors CO2 and H2O dynamics in a representative shrubland on the piedmont slope (bajada) of the San Andreas mountains. The dominant shrubs are evergreen Larrea tridentata (Creosote) and winter-deciduous Prosopis glandulosa (Honey Mesquite). Other cover types include Flourensia cernua (tarbush) and patchy occurences of the grasses Muhlenbergia porteri (Bush Muhly) and Dasyochloa pulchella (Fluff Grass). The site is occasionally visited by stray domestic cattle, free-ranging introduced Oryx, and other native herbivores (Jack Rabbits, Desert Pronghorn). Soils at the site are Ustic Calciargids and parent material consists of limestone, other sedimentary rock, and some igneous rock. Virtual Site Visit: https://youtu.be/v1uJCKuicqs
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Seg Sevilleta grassland. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Seg Sevilleta grassland produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Sevilleta Desert Grassland site is located within the McKenzie Flats area of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), central New Mexico. Historically, this area has been used for livestock grazing; however, the McKenzie Flats have not been grazed since 1973 and the effects of this previous grazing are considered negligible for the purposes of this study. As the name suggests, McKenzie Flats is an extensive (~130 km2), nearly flat, mixed-species desert grassland bounded on the east by Los Pinos Mountains and on the west by the Rio Grande. This site experienced a severe burn in August 2009.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Ses Sevilleta shrubland. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Ses Sevilleta shrubland produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Sevilleta Desert Shrubland site is located in Larrea-dominated shrubland in the northern Chihuahuan Desert of the Rio Grande Valley, on the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR). The site is within the McKenzie Flats area of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). McKenzie Flats is an extensive (~130 km2), nearly flat, mixed-species desert grassland bounded on the east by Los Pinos Mountains and on the west by the Rio Grande. Historically, this area has been used for livestock grazing; however, the McKenzie Flats have not been grazed since 1973 and the effects of this previous grazing are considered negligible for the purposes of this study. The density of Larrea at this site is 0.9 m-2 , interspersed with C4 perennial grasses (Bouteloua gracilis, B. eriopoda, Sporobolis spp., Hilaria jamesii, Muhlenbergia spp.). Sixty percent of mean annual precipitation comes in isolated, short duration showers during the monsoon season (July – September); the remainder arrives with winter frontal systems, although with considerable year-to-year variation.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xAE NEON Klemme Range Research Station (OAES). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xAE NEON Klemme Range Research Station (OAES) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The 1,560-acre Klemme Range Research Station is a grassland site managed for livestock grazing and pasture, located in the middle of the Rolling Red Plains Resource Area. The Rolling Red Plains extends from south of the Red River to north of the Oklahoma/Kansas border consisting of approximately 9.4 million acres, which occupies a significant portion of Western Oklahoma excluding the Oklahoma Panhandle.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xCL NEON LBJ National Grassland (CLBJ). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xCL NEON LBJ National Grassland (CLBJ) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The LBJ Grasslands is 16,800 acres of land managed by the US Forest Service under the US Department of Agriculture. There is a rich legacy of land use, ranging back to the mid-19th century. Currently, LBJ Grasslands are used for recreation and hunting, livestock grazing, and fossil fuel extraction. Ongoing ecological monitoring is performed at the site, along with prescribed burning.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xNQ NEON Onaqui-Ault (ONAQ). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xNQ NEON Onaqui-Ault (ONAQ) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Onaqui-Ault site is located south of the rapidly developing Salt Lake City area, also near Provo and Logan, anchoring this arid urban-rural megatransect. The Onaqui-Benmore area has been grazed by domestic livestock since settlement. By the 1980's, the U.S. Forest Service instituted a light to moderate fall and winter grazing regime that continues today.Fire has always been a component of sagebrush steppe, one of the dominant vegetation types in the area. However, the invasions of exotic annual vegetation, especially Bromus tectorum, also known as drooping brome or cheatgrass, have dramatically shortened fire return intervals. The invasion-fire feedback has resulted in the loss of native perennial species from extensive areas of the region.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Cop Corral Pocket. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-Cop Corral Pocket produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The Corral Pocket site is located in a semi-arid grassland in southeastern Utah, just east of Canyonlands National park. For the greater part of the year, 38-80% of the ground is essentially bare. Vegetation is primarily native perennial C3/C4 grasses with annual ground converge ranging from 8-35%. Leaving the remaining 0-15% coverage to interspersed annual grasses, the remaining 0-15% coverage is occupied by annual grasses. 6-8 weeks during the late fall or winter, Livestock grazing is responsible for the majority of aboveground vegetation loss and subsequent high variability of ground coverage.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSJ NEON San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER). This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-xSJ NEON San Joaquin Experimental Range (SJER) produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - Located at The San Joaquin Experimental Range, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, this 18.2 kilometer terrestrial field site is a mix of open woodlands, shrubs and grasslands with low density cattle grazing. SJER is an ecosystem research experimental area. It was originally conceived as a cooperative interdisciplinary research center to identify cost-effect methods of commercial livestock production in the annual grass-oak pine woodlands, while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem. More recently, research objectives have expanded and diversified to include research projects making contributions to our knowledge of the patterns and processes working in this ecosystem.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-CCg Carlos Casares grassland. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site AR-CCg Carlos Casares grassland produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - This tower is located in a lot dedicated to livestock, within an agricultural establishment. The vegetation is an 8-year-old implanted pasture and grazing is rotational.
This is the AmeriFlux version of the carbon flux data for the site US-UR0 Baggs - UCRB. Site Description - This tower is located in Baggs, Wyoming, in a grassland ecosystem. The area experiences cold winters and mild summers, with relatively low precipitation and significant snowfall during the winter months. The surrounding landscape consists mainly of grass pastures used for livestock grazing.
This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site MX-Aog Alamos Old-Growth tropical dry forest. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site MX-Aog Alamos Old-Growth tropical dry forest produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - This tower is located at a patch of remnant old growth tropical dry forest where the dominant vegetation are leguminous trees and a notorious presence of the genus Brusera. The site is at about 18 km from the municipality of Alamos Sonora Mexico within a private ranch managed by the NGO Nature Culture International. The area is also within a federally protected land named “Area de Proteccion de Flora y Fauna Sierra de Alamos Rio-Cuchijaqui" in the catalog of the “Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP-Mexico)”. The preserved ranch is surrounded by a mosaic of forest patches with different successional stages of tropical dry forest, and some places that are used for local agriculture and livestock. This ecosystem lies in a highly seasonal region under the influence of the North American Monsoon that brings about 70% of the rains from July to September.
Coronavirus is a family of common viruses, some causing illness in people and others that circulate among animals, including camels, cats and bats. Analysis of the genetic tree of this virus is ongoing to know the specific source of the virus. SARS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from civet cats, while MERS, another coronavirus that emerged to infect people, came from camels. A novel coronavirus is a virus that has not previously been identified. The first infection was reported in Wuhan, China in Dec. 2019, with a source probably originating from a livestock market, and a suspected origination from bats.
A report on the energy-savings potential of solid-state lighting in agricultural applications, which updates a prior edition that focused on horticultural lighting only, with an expanded focus that includes animal lighting. The analysis considered three indoor horticultural lighting categories: lighting supplemented greenhouses, high intensity sole-source farms, and sole-source indoor vertical farms typically growing leafy greens. To characterize animal lighting, the analysis investigated the three largest markets of livestock in the U.S. that use lighting – poultry, swine, and dairy farming. To estimate energy consumption of agricultural lighting, the analysis utilized interviews with lighting manufacturers, growers, utility companies, academic professionals, and industry consultants, as well as various data sources. Each of these resources enabled the determination of total market size and illuminated area, typical lighting configuration, lighting power density for LED and incumbent technologies, operating hours, and the installed lighting technology mix. Among the major findings: 1. If all indoor horticultural lighting today was converted to LED technology, annual horticultural lighting consumption would be reduced to 6.3 TWh of site electricity, or 60 tBtu of source energy, which represents lighting energy savings of 34% or $350 million. 2. If all animal lighting today was converted to LED technology, annual lighting energy consumption for animal production would be reduced to 2.8 TWh site electricity, or 26 tBtu of source energy, which represents lighting energy savings of 25% or $96 million.
This document presents a use attainability analysis (UAA) for the perennial segment of Upper Sandia Canyon, which is located within the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) property near Los Alamos, New Mexico.1 This UAA is consistent with 20.6.4.15 New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) (New Mexico Environment Department [NMED] 2011c), which describes the perennial segment as “Sandia Canyon from Sigma Canyon upstream to LANL [National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System] NPDES outfall 001.” The perennial segment’s designated uses are coldwater aquatic life, livestock watering, wildlife habitat, and secondary contact. 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 131.10(g) permits a state to remove a designated use that is not an existing use (as defined in 40 CFR §131.3), if a UAA demonstrates that naturally occurring pollutant concentrations prevent the attainment of the use or if physical conditions related to the natural features of the water body preclude the attainment of the aquatic life protection use. This UAA considers whether natural physical conditions in Upper Sandia Canyon, specifically air and/or water temperatures, prevent the designated aquatic life use water temperature limits (i.e., coldwater) from being attained in the perennial segment. The weight of evidence presented in this UAA supports the conclusion that, based on air-water temperature modeling and instream thermograph data, the coolwater aquatic life designated use is currently the attainable use. Accordingly, it is recommended that the coolwater aquatic life designated use replace the coldwater aquatic life designated use in the Upper Sandia Canyon assessment unit (AU).
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas because it has a heat-absorbing ability that is 20 times stronger than the better-known carbon dioxide. It is also the dominant component of nature gas (>70%). Its current greenhouse effect is only second to carbon dioxide largely because of its relatively low atmospheric concentration. Alarmingly, however, the latter has seen a 1.5-time increase since 1750, mainly due to anthropogenic livestock farming, coal and natural gas mining, and organic matter decomposing in waste landfills. Mitigating such a trend effectively and efficiently is therefore highly desirable and intensely sought for. This final technical report describes some exciting research progresses made over the last three years supported financially by the aforementioned award. The research conducted focused on exploring electrochemical direct methane to methanol (DMTM) conversion under mild conditions. The goal of research was to explore the possibility of developing potentially game-changing electrocatalysts and electrocatalysis that can convert methane directly to methanol in a most sustainable way for curbing its effect on global warming. Progress has been made in the following three directions. First, by adapting a hydrogen fuel-cell configuration that enables gaseous methane to be transported directly to the electrocatalyst surface, we have overcome the perennial difficulty in measuring activity of methane electro-oxidation at low temperature and ambient pressure that has prevented any meaningful studies of electrocatalysis of methane conversion thus far. Second, we have developed a novel and operational in situ electrochemical infrared (IR) spectral cell for studying electrocatalysis of direct methane to methanol conversion. This novel cell is also expected to alleviate the measuring difficulty caused by low solubility of methane in aqueous electrolyte and low sticking coefficient for methane adsorption onto transition metal surface. It will improve significantly the IR’s signal to noise ratio. Third, we have successfully synthesized nano-sizing copper (Cu) exchanged zeolite mordenite (Cu-ZMOR) and coated it with carbon that enabled electrochemical access to the encaged Cu ions. This opens a door to unravel the chemistry of Cu ions in catalyzing direct methane to methanol conversion under mild experimental conditions. Altogether, these progresses achieved have laid a solid foundation for further exploring electrocatalysis of direct methane to methanol conversion in general where there exists “a plenty of room” for new discoveries and developments.
In the United States, agricultural production is both a significant source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 2022) and uniquely susceptible to climate change impacts (Vermeulen et al., 2012). Decarbonization solutions have been proposed for addressing agricultural GHGs; however, research has been limited in synthesizing qualitative and quantitative analysis of potential GHG mitigation solutions in the United States. In this report, we review U.S. agricultural GHG sources by activity and quantify potential mitigation solutions based on a comprehensive data and literature analysis. We also discuss agricultural carbon sequestration options to offset GHG emissions. In our analysis, we identified two significant and hard-to-abate GHG sources (N 2 O from soil management, and CH 4 from enteric fermentation from livestock) as well as high-impact GHG mitigation solutions (e.g. agroforestry, reforestation, and biochar application) and cross-cutting GHG mitigation solutions (renewable energy production, precision agriculture, no-till, integrated nutrient management, and biochar). This report is meant to provide initial analysis and establish a foundation for future agricultural decarbonization research - it is not an exhaustive analysis of all available studies. However, to our knowledge this report is the most comprehensive assessment of agricultural GHG emissions and associated mitigation opportunities in the United States to date. Future empirical research is recommended to close research gaps in different climates, soils, and agricultural systems. Meta-analyses for all mitigation solutions would increase confidence in the estimated GHG mitigation potentials. To conclude this report, we discuss short-term and long-term pathways for agricultural decarbonization in the United States, the importance of accounting for total GHG fluxes, potential co-benefits of agricultural decarbonization, analysis of study data confidence, and research gaps.
The project “Enabling Technology - Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Demands in the Meat Production Industry via Scaling Advanced 3D Culture Bioreactors” focuses on developing transformational and disruptive food technologies, specifically in the area of alternative protein and meat production techniques. The impetus for developing alternative protein technologies include reducing intensive greenhouse gas emissions and energy/land/water usages associated with conventional meat production (animal agriculture). Additional rationales include providing alternatives to livestock rearing as a means of reducing antimicrobial resistance (most antibiotic and antimicrobial use occurs in food-producing animals), as well as the transmission of zoonotic diseases. The goal of this ARPA-E project was to research and develop novel and effective technologies to produce cell-cultured meat (also named in vitro meat, cultivated meat). Cell-cultured meat is an alternative protein or meat technology that involves directly growing muscle and fat tissues (which comprise meat) without using the full animal. This offers benefits in terms of animal welfare (elimination of animal slaughter), while also being projected to be more resource efficient in terms of metrics such as land use and greenhouse gas emissions, especially when compared to beef and lamb. Cell cultured meat additionally offers greater control over the cultivated cells, enabling more precise control over nutrition and taste. For example, cultured cells could be tuned to produce antioxidants such as carotenoids to improve human health. However, to date there are no scalable methods of producing cell-cultured meat cheaply at a large scale.