Freeze-thaw cycles: the neglected contributors to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions

In 10 seconds… Agricultural contributions to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including nitrous oxide, have been well documented or so we thought. Scientists have found that emissions increase during the time of the year when the land lays fallow – but there is a way to mitigate this.

What’s the story? Researchers recently examined nitrous oxide emissions, a greenhouse gas that is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, in the corn belt in the US Midwest. This is when they found that emissions peaked during the non-growing season, especially during the spring thaw.