Carbon dioxide emissions by urban turfgrass areas

Abstract

This research compared four turfgrass lawn management approaches on CO 2 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. CO 2 emissions were measured weekly with flux chambers. Mowing frequency had higher impact on CO 2 flux than fertilisation and soil characteristics. Frequently mowed sites emitted CO 2 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 CO 2 exchange