Nitrous oxide emissions using quantum cascade laser spectrometry over a production crop: preliminary results

Amongst the greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide is recognized as having the greatest greenhouse forcing potential and as being the third in terms of radiative forcing. Agriculture is known to be the major anthropic emitter. This work is part of the FERTECOL project and its objective is to measure the emissions of nitrous oxide by a production crop with an eddy covariance system. The measurements extent over the growth period, cover a large range of climatic conditions and capture peak events associated with fertilization.
The measurements, started in April 2013, are carried at the Lonzée Terrestrial Observatory (50°33'5.83"N- 4°44'46.22"E). On this year, the crop is planted with winter wheat.
A Quantum Cascade Laser Absorption Spectrometer (QCLAS, GSMA, France) is used to measure nitrous oxide as well as water vapor and carbon dioxide at a frequency of 5 hertz. The fluxes are computed using the Eddy Covariance technique adapting standards quality and corrections procedures set up for CO2 fluxes to N2O.
Standard meteorological measurements are performed in parallel. The analysis will present response of the fluxes to environmental variables as well as to fertilization events during the season.