A Local-Scale Study of the Trace Gas Emissions from Vegetation Burning around the Village of Dalun, Ghana, with Respect to Seasonal Vegetation Changes and Burning Practices |
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| Authors: | Christopher F Saarnak Thomas T Nielsen Cheikh Mbow |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Geography, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen, K, Denmark;(2) Institut des Sciences de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, B.P. 5005, Dakar-Fann, Senegal |
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| Abstract: | The annual trace gas emissions from a West African rural region were calculated using direct observations of gas emissions and burning practices, and the findings compared to the guidelines published by the IPCC. This local-scale study was conducted around the village of Dalun in the Northern Region of Ghana, near the regional capital of Tamale. Two types of fires were found in the region – agricultural fires andwildfires. Agricultural fires are intentionally set in order to remove shrub and crop residues; wildfires are mostly ignited by herders to remove inedible grasses and to promote the growth of fresh grass. An agricultural fire is ignited with a fire front moving against the wind (backfire), whereas a wildfire moves with the wind (headfire). Gas emissions (CO2, CO and NO) weremeasured by burning eight experimental plots, simulating both headfires and backfires. A common method of evaluating burning conditions is to calculate modified combustion efficiency (MCE), which expresses the percentage of the trace gases released as CO2. Modified combustion efficiency was95% in the wildfires burned as headfires, but only 90% in the backfires.The burned area in the study region was determined by classifying a SPOT HRV satellite image taken about two months into the dry season. Fires were classified as either old burned areas or new burned areas as determined by the gradient in moisture content in the vegetation from the onset of the dry season. Classified burned areas were subsequently divided into two classes depending on whether the location was in the cultivated area or in the rangeland area, this sub-classification thus indicating whether the fire had been burned as a backfire or headfire. Findings showed that the burned area was 48% of the total region, and that the ratio of lowland wildfiresto agricultural fires was 3:1. The net trace gas release from the classified vegetation burnings were extrapolated to 26–46×108 gCO2, 78–302×106 g CO,17–156×105 g CH4,16–168×105 g NMHC and 11–72×103 NOx. Calculation of the emissionsusing proposed IPCC default values on burned area and average biomass resulted in a net emission 5 to 10 times higher than the measured emission values. It was found that the main reason for this discrepancy was not the emission factorsused by the IPCC, but an exaggerated fuel load estimate. |
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