Feed yard greenhouse gas study begins

AMARILLO, Texas, April 7 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they are starting a study to determine greenhouse gas emissions from feed yard operations.

Texas A&M University scientists at AgriLife Research in Amarillo, Texas, said they will measure three greenhouse gases: nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane.

Assistant Professor Ken Casey and research chemist Al Caramanica said they will use a Varian gas chromatograph with three detectors set up for automatic injection of gas samples from gas-tight vials. That, they said, will allow simultaneous detection of all three gases from samples taken at feed yards.

"This work will focus primarily on nitrous oxide," Casey said, noting the gas has approximately 310 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide.

"We are part of a larger effort to quantify what emissions of greenhouse gas are from feed yards," he said. "We want to understand the variability and circumstances that create the greatest emissions and determine methodologies that identify the right numbers. Then we want to help identify management practices that can keep them at the lowest possible levels."