2022: Measuring Emissions of Methane and Ammonia Gas From NY Dairy Farms
Methane is a critically important greenhouse gas, and reducing methane emissions from agriculture is a major goal of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of New York. Recent research suggests that dairy farms may also be a significant source of atmospheric ammonia pollution in the Finger Lakes region, which may input nitrogen directly into the Finger Lakes, perhaps contributing to the toxicity of harmful algal blooms. Accurate information is critical in developing approaches for reducing ammonia and methane emissions. Researchers seek to develop and test a new method for measuring emissions from New York State dairy farm operations. In addition to measuring whole-farm gas fluxes, they will attempt to measure emissions from particular components of NYS dairy farm operations, such as manure lagoons and milking barns.
Investigators: Robert Howarth, Lauren Ray, Xiangtao Xu, Tom Overton, and Peter Wright