Carbon Emission Characteristics of Cropland in Northeast China and Monitoring Means

Abstract

As the cereal-producing region of China’s black soil, there are many agricultural activities, mainly including cultivation, straw processing, and harvesting, in Northeast China. In the process of carrying out these agricultural activities, they inevitably lead to large carbon emissions, among which straw burning and wind erosion are two processes that directly lead to carbon emissions from farmland. In this study, we estimated the carbon emissions of these two processes based on two algorithms: the improved Fire Radiative Power and Community Multiscale Air Quality (FENGSHA) algorithms. The results showed that the carbon emissions from straw burning in Northeast China can reach up to 126,651 Gg in 2017, and those from wind erosion of agricultural land can reach up to 80.45 Gg a year. When compared with the carbon emissions in 2017, the implementation of the Action Plan for Straw Disposal in Northeast China resulted in around a 40% decrease in the carbon emissions from straw burning in 2022. However, the carbon emissions from agricultural land wind erosion increased by about 10%. The seasonal characteristics of both straw burning and farmland wind erosion were obvious, with both being concentrated in the spring. In addition, based on the potential impacts of straw burning on wind erosion, we proposed that a Y-shaped integrated monitoring network should be constructed to monitor both straw burning and wind erosion in Northeast China. Thus, the study of carbon emissions from straw burning and wind erosion in Northeast China is of great importance for energy conservation and emission reduction, and the implementation of a straw burning ban policy, straw recycling and reuse, and a black soil protection policy is recommended.