MEASUREMENT OF CATTLE METHANE EMISSIONS USING THE EDDY-COVARIANCE TECHNIQUE

Methane emissions account for 8% of the EU-15 GHG emissions and livestock generates approximately half of these emissions [1]. Recent technological advances in spectroscopy now permit methane flux measurement using eddy covariance. Methane fluxes exchanged by a pasture were measured continuously since June 2012 at the Dorinne Terrestrial Observatory in Belgium.
During grazing periods, fluxes are dominated by enteric fermentation. Methane emissions were found strongly related to cattle stocking rate. When fluxes are integrated over large periods and assuming a random position of cows on the pasture, emission per LSU (Livestock Unit) was found to be 53±3 kg CH4 year-1 LSU-1.
Recently, cattle position on the grassland was monitored continuously using GPS devices and combined with a footprint analysis [2] to derive more precisely the CH4 emission per LSU. A first experiment with a stocking rate close to 0.7 LSU ha-1 validated the approach and ended in a mean emission per head of 51±10 kg CH4 year-1 head-1. This approach also allows estimating emissions per head at the hourly scale and therefore opens the possibility of studying the circadian emission cycle and to link emissions to feeding behavior of the animal and feed quality.