Skip to main content
Log in

Nitrogen compound emission from biomass burning in tropical African savanna FOS/DECAFE 1991 experiment (Lamto, Ivory Coast)

  • Published:
Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Gaseous nitrogen compounds (NO x , NO y , NH3, N2O) were measured at ground level in smoke plumes of prescribed savanna fires in Lamto, in the southern Ivory Coast, during the FOS/DECAFE experiment in January 1991. During the flaming phase, the linear regression between δ[NO x ] and δ[CO2] (differences in concentration between smoke plumes and atmosheric background) results volumic emission ratio δ[NO x ]/δ[CO2]=1.37×10−3 with only slight differences between heading and backing fires. Nearly 90% of the nitrogen oxides are emitted as NO. Average emission ratios of other compounds are: 1.91, 0.047, and 0.145×10−3 for NO y , NH3 and N2O, respectively. The emission ratios obtained during this field experiment are compred with corresponding values measured during former experiments with the same plant species in combustion chambers. An accurate determination of both the biomass actually burned and of the plant nitrogen content, allows an assessment of emission fluxes of N-compounds from Guinean savanna burns. Preliminary results dealing with the influence of fire on biogenic emissions from soils are also reported.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbadie, L., 1985, Evolution saisonnière du stock d'azote dans la strate herbacée d'une savane de Côte d'Ivoire protégée des feux de brousse,Acta Œcologica, Œcologia Plantarum 6, 323–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abbadie, L. and Lensi, R., 1990, Carbon and nitrogen mineralization and denitrification in a humid savanna of West Africa (Lamto, Côte d'Ivoire),Acta Oecologica 11, 717–728.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abbadie, L., Mariotti, A., and Menaut, J. C., 1992, Independence of savanna grasses from soil organic matter for their nitrogen supply,Ecology 73, 608–613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M. O., 1991, Biomass burning: its history, use, and distribution and its impact on environmental quality and global climate, in J. S. Levine (ed.),Global Biomass Burning, The MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 3–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreae, M. O., Chapuis, A., Cros, B., Fontan, J., Helas, G., Justice, C., Kaufman, Y. J., Minga, A., and Nganga, D., 1992, Ozone and Aitken Nuclei over EQUATORIAL Africa: Airborne observations during DECAFE 88,J. Geophys. Res. 97, 6137–6148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cachier, H., Liousse, C., Buat-Menard, P., and Gaudichet, A., Particulate Content of savanna fire emissions,J. Atmos. Chem. 22, 123–148 (this issue).

  • Coffer III, W. R., Levine, J. S., Winstead, E. L., LeBel, P. J., Koller Jr, A. M., and Hinkle, C. R., 1990, Trace gas emission from burning florida wetlands,J. Geophys. REs. 95, 1865–1870.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cros, B., DEImas, R., Nganga, D., Clairac, B., and Fontan, J., 1988, Seasonal trends of ozone in equatorial Africa, experimental evidence of photochemical ozone formation,J. Geophys. Res. 93, 8355–8366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crutzen, P. J., Delany, A. C., Greenberg, J., Haagenson, P., Heidt, L., Lueb, R., Pollock, W., Seiler, W., Wartburg, A., and Zimmerman, P., 1985, Tropospheric chemical composition measurements in Brazil during the dry season,J. Atmos. Chem. 2, 233–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crutzen, P. J. and Andreae, M. O., 1990, Biomass burning in the tropics: Impact on atmospheric chemistry and biogeochemical cycles,Sciences 250, 1669–1678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, E. A., Vitousek, P. M., Matson, P. A., Riley, R., Garcia-Mendez, G., and Maass, J. M., 1991, Soil emissions of nitric oxide in a seasonally dry tropical forest of Mexico,J. Geophys. Res. 96, 15,439–15,445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R., 1982, On the emission of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur in the atmosphere during bushfires in intertropical savanna zones,Geophys. Res. Lett. 9, 761–764.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R. and Servant, J., 1987, Echanges biosphère-atmosphère d'azote et de soufre en zone intertropicale: transfert entre les écosystèmes forêt et savana en Afrique de l'ouest,Atmos. Res. 21, 391–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R. A., Loudjani, Ph., Podaire, A., and Menaut, J. C., 1991, Biomass burning in Africa: An assessment of the annually burned biomass, in J. Levine (ed.),Global Biomass Burning, Ch. 16, MIT Press, Cambridge, 127–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, R. A., Marenco, A., Tathy, J. P., Cros, B., Baudet, J. G. R., 1991, Sources and sinks of methane in the African savanna. CH4 emission from biomass burning,J. Geophys. Res. 96, 7287–7300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickerson, R. R., 1984, Measurements of reactive nitrogen compounds in the free troposphere.Atmos. Environ. 18, 2585–2593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fahey, D. W., Eubank, C. S., Hubler, G., and Fehsenfeld, F. C., 1985, Evaluation of a catalytic reduction technique for the measurement of total reactive odd-nitrogen NO y in the atmosphere,J. Atmos. Chem. 3, 435–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fehsenfeld, F. C.et al., 1987, A ground-based intercomparison of NO; NO x , and NO y measurement techniques,J. Geophys. Res. 92, 14,710–14,722.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischman, J., Fakhruzzamanan, F., Cros, B., and Nganga, D., 1991, Identification of widespread pollution in the southern hemisphere deduced from satellite analysis,Science 252, 1693–1696.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hao, W. M., Liu, M. H., and Crutzen, P. J., 1990, Estimate of annual and regional releases of CO2 and other trace gases to the atmosphere from fires in the tropics, based on the FAO statistics for the period 1975–1980, in J. C. Goldammer (ed.),Fire in the Tropical Biota, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 440–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, C., Rhode, H., and Sanhueza, E., 1988, Emission of NO in a tropical savanna and cloud forest during the dry season,J. Geophys. Res. 93, 7180–7192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhlbusch, T. A., Lobert, J. M., Crutzen, P. J., and Warneck, P., 1991, Molecular nitrogen emissions from denitrification during biomass burning,Nature 351, 135–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacaux, J. P., Delmas, R. A., Cros, B., Lefeivre, B., and Andreae, M. O., 1991, Influence of biomass burning on precipitation chemistry in the equatorial forests of Africa, in J. S. Levine (ed.),Global Biomass Burning, Ch. 22, MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 167–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacaux, J. P., Delmas, R., Kouadio, G., Cros, B., and Andreae, M. O., 1992, Precipitation chemistry in the Mayombe forest of Africa,J. Geophys. Res. 97, 6195–6206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacaux, J. P., Cachier, H., and Delmas, R., 1993, Biomass burning in Africa: An overview of the impact on the atmospheric chemistry, in P. J. Crutzen and J. G. Goldammer (eds.),Fire in the Environment, the Ecological, Atmospheric, and Climatic Importance of Vegetation Fires, Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacaux, J. P., Brustet, J. M., Delmas, R., Menaut, J. C., Baudet, J., Andreae, M. O., and Helas, G., 1995, DECAFE 91/Biomass burning in the tropical savannas of Ivory Coast. An overview of the field experiment Fire of Savanna.J. Atmos. Chem. 22, 195–216 (this issue).

    Google Scholar 

  • LeBel, P. J., Vay, S. A., and Roberts, P. D., 1991, Ammonia and nitric acid emission from wetlands and boreal fires, in J. S. Levine (ed.),Global Biomass Burning, Ch. 29, MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 225–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lensi, R., Domenach, A. M., and Abbadie, L., 1992, Field study of nitrification and denitrification in a wet savanna of West Africa (Lamto, Côte d'Ivoire),Plant and Soil 147, 107–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine, J. S., Cofer III, W. R., Sebacher, D. I., Winstead, E. L., Sebacher, S., and Boston, P. J., 1988, The effect of fire on biogenic soil emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide,Glob. Biogeochem. Cycles 2, 445–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobert, J. M., Scharffe, D., Hao, W., and Crutzen, P., 1990, Importance of biomass burning in the atmospheric budgets of nitrogen containing gases,Nature 346, 552–554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lobert, J. M., Scharffe, D. H., Hao, W., Kuhlbush, T. A., Seuwen, R., Warneck, P., and Crutzen, P. J., 1991, Experimental evaluation of biomass burning emissions: Nitrogen and carbon containing compounds, in J. S. Levine (ed.),Global Biomass Burning, MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 289–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, A., Huertas, M. L., and Lacome, J. M., 1992, Numerical simulation of the ozone chemistry observed over forested tropical areas during DECAFE Experiments,J. Geophys. Res. 97, 6149–6158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menaut, J. C., 1983, in F. Bourlière (ed.),The Vegetation of African Savannas, in Tropical Savannas, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 109–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muzio, L. J., Teague, M. E., Kramlich, J. C., Cole, J. A., McCarthy, J. M., and Lyon, R. K., 1989, Errors in grab sample measurements of N2O from combustion sources,J. Air Pollut. Control Assoc. 39, 287–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nedellec, Ph., 1991, Mise au point d'un analyseur d'oxides d'azote à haute sensibilité. Application à l'étude de l'ozone et de ses précurseurs dans la troposphère, PhD Thesis 1069, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiler, W. and Crutzen, P. J., 1980, Estimate of gross and net flux of carbon between the biosphere and the atmosphere from biomass burning,Climatic Change,2, 207–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winer, A. M., Peters, J. W., Smith, J. P., and Pitts, J. N. Jr., 1974, Response of commercial chemiluminescent NO-NO2 analysers to other nitrogen-containing compounds,Environ. Sci. Technol. 8, 1118–1121.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Delmas, R., Lacaux, J.P., Menaut, J.C. et al. Nitrogen compound emission from biomass burning in tropical African savanna FOS/DECAFE 1991 experiment (Lamto, Ivory Coast). J Atmos Chem 22, 175–193 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708188

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00708188

Key words

Navigation