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Last reviewed on November 2, 2011 at 10:05

Documentation of California's Greenhouse Gas Inventory (First Edition - Last updated on 11/19/2007)

♦ Category: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use

IPCC: 3C1b - Aggregate Sources and Non-CO2 Emissions Sources on Land - Emissions from Biomass Burning - Biomass Burning in Croplands
Sector: Agriculture & Forestry : Ag Residue Burning : Field Crops

♦ Activity: Crop acreage burned - Wheat

♦ Greenhouse gas: Methane ( CH4 )

► Year 1990 —

● Greenhouse gas emission estimate —

Amount: 217.52 tonnes of CH4 Emitted (4,568 tonnes CO2 Eq.)
Basis: Calculation
Calculation: [Crop acreage] * [Crop residue burned] * (1 - [Residue moisture content]) * [CH4 emission factor] * [Fraction of production acres burned] * [Short ton to gram conversion]
Reference: ARB (2009). Technical Support Document for California’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and 1990 Emissions Level. California Air Resources Board. (March 2009). Available online at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/inventory/doc/methods_v1/ghg_inventory_technical_support_document.pdf

● Activity level used in calculations —

Activity:
Basis: None
Reference: Not Applicable.

● Parameters and Constants used in calculations —

Parameter: CH4 emission factor = 1.820E-03
Reference: Jenkins, B.M. et al. (1996) Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Factors from Open Burning of Agricultural and Forest Biomass by Wind Tunnel Simulation. California Air Resources Board, A932-126, April 1996. (see in particular Tables 4.1.1 - 4.1.8). http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/single-project.php?row_id=55021
Parameter: Crop acreage = 680,000 acre
Reference: USDA (2007). U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Historical Data. Field Crops. Accessed June 2007. http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Historical_Data/index.asp
Parameter: Crop residue burned = 1.9 ton / acre
Reference: USEPA (1995). Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume 1: Stationary Point and Area Sources, Fifth Edition, AP-42, January 1995, USEPA. Chapter 2 - Solid Waste Disposal, Section 2.5 - Open Burning, Table 2.5-5. Fuel loadings.
Parameter: Fraction of production acres burned = 0.11
Reference: Jenkins, B.M., Turn, S.Q., and Williams, R.B. (1992). Atmospheric Emissions from Agricultural Burning in California: Determination of Burn Fractions, Distribution Factors, and Crop-specific Contributions. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 38: 313-330.
Parameter: Residue moisture content = 0.073
Reference: Jenkins, B.M. et al. (1996) Atmospheric Pollutant Emission Factors from Open Burning of Agricultural and Forest Biomass by Wind Tunnel Simulation. California Air Resources Board, A932-126, April 1996. (see in particular Tables 4.1.1 - 4.1.8). http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/single-project.php?row_id=55021
Constant: Short ton to gram conversion = 907184.7 g / ton
Reference: NIST (1995). Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI). Barry N. Taylor (Ed.). NIST Special Publication 811. Appendix B8. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD. The 2008 Edition is available at: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/pdf/sp811.pdf
Constant: Global warming potential of CH4 = 21
Reference: IPCC (1996). Second Assessment Report. Climate Change 1995: WG I - The Science of Climate Change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; J.T. Houghton, L.G. Meira Filho, B.A. Callander, N. Harris, A. Kattenberg, and K. Maskell (eds.); Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, U.K.

● Greenhouse gas emitted per unit activity —

Amount: Not Applicable