Summary
This meta-analysis re-evaluated the emission factor for soil NOx emissions from European agriculture by synthesising 65 recent studies from temperate climates, finding a revised estimate of 0.60% (range 0.06–0.54%) compared to the current regulatory value of 1.33%. The authors assessed NOx source contributions across 42 European countries, noting that agricultural emissions have become proportionally more significant (rising from 3.6% to 7.2% of total) as non-agricultural combustion sources have declined by 55% since 1990. The study highlights substantial uncertainty in current agricultural emission factors and notes that soil-related emissions from agriculture and forestry require increased research rigour as air quality policy increasingly focuses on remaining non-combustion sources.
UK applicability
The United Kingdom is among the 22 Western European countries analysed; the study's revised emission factors and assessment of manure management contributions are directly applicable to UK agricultural NOx inventory reporting and air quality policy. However, UK-specific data representation within the 65-study pool and variation by UK climate zones and farming practices would warrant verification through domestic measurement programmes.
Key measures
Emission factor (EF) for soil NOx (percentage of applied nitrogen); NOx emission reductions 1990–2017 by sector and country group; relative contributions of agricultural soil, manure management, and forest soil NOx sources; proportional share of agricultural NOx in 42 European countries
Outcomes reported
The study re-evaluated the emission factor (EF) for soil NOx emissions from agricultural nitrogen application and manure management across 42 European countries using recently published temperate climate data. It assessed the relative contributions of agricultural versus non-agricultural soil NOx sources and quantified the increasing share of agricultural emissions in total European NOx inventories.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.