GRAMINAE: Biosphere-atmosphere interactions of ammonia with grassland across Europe

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 97.0031

Key words (English)

Ammonia; grassland; fluxes; modeling

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: ENV4-CT98-0722

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 4. Frame Research Programme - 3.1 Environment

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Agrarökologie und Landbau FAL
Lufthygiene/Klima

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Institute of terrestrial Ecology (UK)

Abstract (English)

Objectives of GRAMINAE
GRAMINAE was established to address the dynamics and uncertainties in ammonia ecosystem-atmosphere exchange processes across Europe. As a Phase 2 project of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative (TERI), GRAMINAE addressed in particular the links of seasonality to NH3 fluxes, with a focus on cut grassland / meadow ecosystems in an Atlantic-Continental
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
16. The environmental consequences of enhanced atmospheric ammonia are being increasingly recognized and include eutrophication of oligotrophic terrestrial ecosystems, acidification of soils and increased atmospheric aerosol loadings affecting atmospheric visibility, global radiative balance and human health.
17. International policy instruments are now being developed that include abatement of ammonia, including within the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, the EU National Emissions Ceilings Directive and the Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control.
18. An integrated experiment on NH3 exchange was hosted in Braunschweig as a core activity of the GRAMINAE programme. This experiment brought together over 50 scientists in the field to consider the interactions of ammonia exchange from the physiological and within-canopy level, to net fluxes and landscape interactions. A key issue in the experiment was the consideration of flux divergence, either due to advection errors or due to gas - particle inter-conversion.
19. GRAMINAE has provided the first comprehensive database of NH3 exchange with grasslands at a continental scale. The activity has been unique globally and represents the international state-of-the-art in NH3 biosphere-atmosphere exchange. In particular, the GRAMINAE Integrated Experiment provides the first fully comprehensive analysis of NH3 exchange interactions.
Specific contribution of FAL
At the Swiss measuring site, situated in a flat agricultural area of the Swiss plateau, main research activities were focused on the analysis of NH3 biosphere-atmosphere exchange over an intensively managed grass/clover crop. The site consisted of two adjacent fields receiving different levels of N-fertilization (80 or 160 kg N ha-1 a-1), which allowed to study the influence of the N application level as well as the influence of symbiotic N2 fixation on the NH3 exchange. Main contribution to the joint field experiment in Braunschweig in May/June 2000 included in-canopy NH3 measurements with the recently developed four channel mini-WEDD-system as well as regular determination of NH3 compensation points as descriped above for a variety of grass species.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 97.0031