Shortgrass Steppe for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Nunn, Colorado

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) US Department of Agriculture; National Agricultural Library

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
CONUNRBS_csv_data.zip application/zip 92 KB 06/26/2026 11:47:AM
adc_metadata.json application/json 20.5 KB 06/27/2026 05:04:AM
catalog_detail.html text/html 9.3 KB 06/26/2026 11:47:AM

Project Citation: 

US Department of Agriculture, and National Agricultural Library. Shortgrass Steppe for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Nunn, Colorado. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-06-27. https://doi.org/10.3886/E250396V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title Shortgrass Steppe for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Nunn, Colorado
Summary:  View help for Summary Shortgrass Steppe for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Nunn, Colorado Cattle play a major role in nutrient cycling of grassland ecosystems through biomass removal and excrement deposition (urine and feces). We studied the effects of cattle excrement patches (urine at 430 and feces at 940 kg N ha-1) on nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) fluxes using semi-static chambers on cool-season (C3), Bozoisky-select (*Psathyrostachys juncea*) pasture, and warm-season (C4)-dominated native rangeland of the shortgrass steppe (SGS) in northeastern Colorado. Nitrous oxide emission factors (EF; i.e., percent of added N emitted as N2O-N) did not differ between urine and feces on the C4-dominated native rangeland (0.11 and 0.10%) and C3 pasture (0.13 and 0.10%). These EFs are substantially less than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 Default EF (2%) for manure deposited on pasture, indicating that during dry years the IPCC Tier 1 Default EF would result in a significant overestimation of emissions from excrement patches deposited on SGS C4-dominated native rangeland and C3 pasture. Over the first year of the study (19 June 2012 to 18 June 2013), cumulative CH4 uptake was 38% greater for urine (-1.49 vs. -1.08 kg CH4-C ha-1) and 28% greater for control plots (-2.09 vs. -1.63 kg CH4-C ha-1) on C4-dominated native rangeland compared to C3 pasture. In contrast, feces patches were net sources of CH4 with emissions from the C3 pasture (0.64 kg CH4-C ha-1) 113% greater than the C4-dominated native rangeland (0.30 kg CH4-C ha-1). Conversion of C4-dominated native rangeland to C3 pasture can have short and long term effects on CH4 uptake; therefore consideration should be taken before implementing this management practice.


Resources in this dataset:

Resource Title: Nunn, CO Shortgrass Steppe (CONUNRBS) CSV data. File Name: CONUNRBS_csv_data.zipResource Description: CSV format data on Experimental Units, Field Sites, Greenhouse Gas Flux, Soil Chemistry, Soil Physics, Amendments, Planting, Persons, Treatments, Weather Daily, Weather Station.

Resource Title: Nunn, CO Shortgrass Steppe (CONUNRBS) CSV data.

File Name: CONUNRBS_csv_data.zip

Resource Description: CSV format data on Experimental Units, Field Sites, Greenhouse Gas Flux, Soil Chemistry, Soil Physics, Amendments, Planting, Persons, Treatments, Weather Daily, Weather Station.
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://agdatacommons.nal.usda.gov/articles/dataset/Shortgrass_Steppe_for_Greenhouse_gas_Reduction_through_Agricultural_Carbon_Enhancement_network_in_Nunn_Colorado/24665280

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms farming; Environment; iso metadata; NP211; NP212; data.gov; ARS
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Colorado
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 6/19/2012 – 5/27/2014
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) observational data
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes DOI: 10.15482/USDA.ADC/1504000 Citation: Del Grosso, Steve (2020). Shortgrass Steppe for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Nunn, Colorado. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1504000 (Downloaded 2026-06-26)


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V1 [2026-06-27]

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