Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

The contribution of cattle urine and dung to nitrous oxide emissions: Quantification of country specific emission factors and implications for national inventories

David R. Chadwick, L. M. Cardenas, M.S. Dhanoa, N. Donovan, T. H. Misselbrook, J. R. Williams, R. E. Thorman, Karen McGeough, Catherine J. Watson, M.J. Bell, S.G. Anthony, Robert M. Rees

The Science of The Total Environment · 2018

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Summary

This peer-reviewed research quantifies nitrous oxide emissions from cattle excreta under UK agricultural conditions, establishing country-specific emission factors that deviate from IPCC default assumptions. The work directly addresses the accuracy of UK national inventory reporting for ruminant livestock and enables more precise carbon footprinting of beef and dairy products. The findings suggest that tailored, context-specific emission factors improve the reliability of greenhouse gas accounting in national inventories.

UK applicability

The study provides empirically derived, UK-specific emission factors directly applicable to national greenhouse gas inventory calculations and livestock product carbon footprinting under UK conditions. These country-specific factors offer improved accuracy compared to generic IPCC defaults for UK farming systems.

Key measures

Nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from cattle urine and dung; country-specific emission factors (EFs) for the United Kingdom; comparison with IPCC default emission factors

Outcomes reported

The study quantified nitrous oxide emissions from cattle urine and dung under UK conditions and derived country-specific emission factors. The findings indicate that UK emission factors differ from IPCC default values, with implications for national greenhouse gas inventory accounting.

Theme
Measurement & metrics
Subject
Climate & greenhouse gas mitigation
Study type
Research
Study design
Field trial
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
United Kingdom
System type
Pasture-based livestock
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.152
Catalogue ID
BFmovi1pkk-u8crw4

Topic tags

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