Carbon dioxide emissions by urban turfgrass areas

Abstract

This research compared four turfgrass lawn management approaches on CO2 emissions: (1) fertilized and frequently mowed with clippings removal, and unfertilized with clippings left on site and mowed 2) weekly, 3) three times, or 4) once during the growing season. CO2 emissions were measured weekly with flux chambers. Mowing frequency had higher impact on CO2 flux than fertilisation and soil characteristics. Frequently mowed sites emitted CO2 at a maximum rate of 0.63 mg m-2 s-1 and annually up to 2.0 kg m-2, an emission four times higher than lawns mowed infrequently. Differences between treatments mostly occurred during warm weeks. Key words: Lawns, greenhouse gases, carbon cycle, carbon dioxide, net CO2 exchange