scholarly journals Assessing Influence Factors on Daily Ammonia and Greenhouse Gas Concentrations from an Open-Sided Cubicle Barn in Hot Mediterranean Climate

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1400
Author(s):  
Provvidenza Rita D’Urso ◽  
Claudia Arcidiacono ◽  
Francesca Valenti ◽  
Giovanni Cascone
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Influence Factors ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Hot Climate ◽  
Feeding Area ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Measurement of gas concentrations constitutes basic knowledge for the computation of emissions from livestock buildings. Although it is well known that hot climate conditions increase gas emissions, in the literature the relation between gas concentrations from open barns and animal-related parameters has not been investigated yet. This study aimed at filling this gap by evaluating daily gas concentrations within an open-sided barn in hot Mediterranean climate. The influence of microclimatic parameters (MC) and cow behavior and barn management (CBBM) were evaluated for ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. Results showed that both MC and CBBM affected concentrations of NH3 (p < 0.02), CH4 (p < 0.001), and CO2 (p < 0.001). Higher values of NH3 concentration were detected during the cleaning of the floor by a tractor with scraper, whereas the lowest NH3 concentrations were recorded during animal lying behavior. Measured values of CO2 and CH4 were highly correlated (C = 0.87–0.89) due to the same sources of production (i.e., digestion and respiration). The different management of the cooling systems during the two observation periods reduced significantly CH4 concentrations in the barn when the cooling system in the feeding area was switched off. Based on methodological choices due to the specific barn typology, parameters related to animals can provide information on the variation of gas concentrations in the barn environment in hot climate conditions.

scholarly journals Environmental and Animal-Related Parameters and the Emissions of Ammonia and Methane from an Open-Sided Free-Stall Barn in Hot Mediterranean Climate: A Preliminary Study

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1772
Author(s):  
Provvidenza Rita D'Urso ◽  
Claudia Arcidiacono ◽  
Giovanni Cascone
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
Ch4 Emissions ◽  
Humidity Index ◽  
Cleaning Procedures ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Increased knowledge on the factors that affect emissions from open-sided dairy buildings may lead to an improvement of the mitigation strategies. In this study, ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emissions were assessed in an open dairy barn in a hot Mediterranean climate at different managements of the cooling system, as well as the influence of environmental and animal-related parameters on daily emissions. Measurements of gas concentrations and micro-climatic parameters were carried out in a cubicle free-stall dairy barn located in the province of Ragusa (Italy) in two weeks of 2016 characterised by similar climatic conditions in the warm period. Emissions of NH3 and CH4 were estimated through the application of the carbon-dioxide (CO2) mass balance method. Data collected were organised in specific datasets to carry out different statistical analyses on gas emissions depending on selected parameters for the two weeks with a different management of the cooling system. The results showed higher NH3 emissions and lower CH4 emissions in W1 than those in W2. The variability in gas emissions was related to the effect of temperature humidity index (THI) (p < 0.001) and cow behaviour (p < 0.01). The highest emissions were recorded during the cleaning procedures for both NH3 (p < 0.001) and CH4 (p < 0.001), whereas the lowest emissions were recorded during the central hours of the day.

scholarly journals Effect of the Milking Frequency on the Concentrations of Ammonia and Greenhouse Gases within an Open Dairy Barn in hot Climate Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9235
Author(s):  
Provvidenza Rita D’Urso ◽  
Claudia Arcidiacono
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Hot Climate ◽  
Livestock Buildings ◽  
Infrared Photoacoustic Spectroscopy ◽  
Milking Frequency ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Knowledge of how different management strategies affect gas production from livestock buildings can be helpful for emission predicting purposes and for defining mitigation strategies. The objective of this study was to statistically assess whether and how measured concentrations of ammonia (NH3), methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were influenced by milking frequency. Concentrations of gases were measured continuously by using infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy in the breeding environment of an open dairy barn located in Sicily in hot climate conditions. Data were acquired by specific in-field experiments carried out in 2016 and 2018, when milking sessions occurred twice a day (2MSs) and three times a day (3MSs), respectively. The number of the milking cows was 64 in both 2MSs and 3MSs. The results showed that concentrations of NH3, CH4 and CO2 were statistically influenced by the number of milking sessions. From 2MSs to 3MSs, NH3 concentrations were enhanced (P < 0.001) due to the higher cow’s activity. Conversely, gas concentrations of CH4 and CO2 were lower for 3MSs compared to those for 2MSs due to the effect of the different feeding frequency. Overall, the milking frequency influenced barn management and cow behaviour by modifying the level of gas concentrations in the barn environment.

scholarly journals Performance investigation of integrated PVT/adsorption cooling system under the climate conditions of Middle East

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 168-173
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Hassan ◽  
Ahmed E. Elwardany ◽  
Shinichi Ookawara ◽  
Ibrahim I. El-Sharkawy
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Adsorption Cooling System

scholarly journals Evaluation of WRF Model Forecasts and Their Use for Hydroclimate Monitoring over Southern South America

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 1001-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar V. Müller ◽  
Miguel A. Lovino ◽  
Ernesto H. Berbery
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Lead Time ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
Southern South America ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Forecast Lead Time ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Precipitation Season

Abstract Weather forecasting and monitoring systems based on regional models are becoming increasingly relevant for decision support in agriculture and water management. This work evaluates the predictive and monitoring capabilities of a system based on WRF Model simulations at 15-km grid spacing over the La Plata basin (LPB) in southern South America, where agriculture and water resources are essential. The model’s skill up to a lead time of 7 days is evaluated with daily precipitation and 2-m temperature in situ observations for the 2-yr period from 1 August 2012 to 31 July 2014. Results show high prediction performance with 7-day lead time throughout the domain and particularly over LPB, where about 70% of rain and no-rain days are correctly predicted. Also, the probability of detection of rain days is above 80% in humid regions. Temperature observations and forecasts are highly correlated (r &gt; 0.80) while mean absolute errors, even at the maximum lead time, remain below 2.7°C for minimum and mean temperatures and below 3.7°C for maximum temperatures. The usefulness of WRF products for hydroclimate monitoring was tested for an unprecedented drought in southern Brazil and for a slightly above normal precipitation season in northeastern Argentina. In both cases the model products reproduce the observed precipitation conditions with consistent impacts on soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and runoff. This evaluation validates the model’s usefulness for forecasting weather up to 1 week in advance and for monitoring climate conditions in real time. The scores suggest that the forecast lead time can be extended into a second week, while bias correction methods can reduce some of the systematic errors.

scholarly journals Effect of Air Heat Pump Cooling System as a Greener Energy Source on the Air Quality, Housing Environment and Growth Performance in Pig House

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1474
Author(s):  
Dhanushka Rathnayake ◽  
Hong-Seok Mun ◽  
Muhammad Ammar Dilawar ◽  
Il-Byung Chung ◽  
Kwang-Woo Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Housing Environment ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Cooling Effects ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

The present study examined the cooling effects of an air heat pump (AHP) system. An AHP system was installed in a pig house to compare the effects with a traditional cooling system on the growth performance, noxious gas emission, housing environment and consumption of electricity. During the 19-week experimental trial, the internal temperature in the AHP cooling system-connected pig house was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) than the conventional house. Similarly, the temperature–humidity index (THI) was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in the growing and late finishing period. The carbon dioxide (CO2) and electricity consumption were also reduced significantly in the AHP cooling system relative to the control. The concentration of ammonia (NH3) during the weaning and finishing phase and the concentration of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) during all periods were lower in the AHP-installed pig house (p < 0.05). From 0–19 weeks, there was no significant difference was observed (p > 0.05) in terms of the growth performance of pigs in both houses. These results show that the AHP cooling system can be implemented as an environmentally friendly renewable energy source in swine farms for sustainable pig production and better air quality without adversely affecting productivity parameters.

scholarly journals Role of the stratospheric chemistry-climate interactions in the hot climate conditions of the Eocene

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Szopa ◽  
Rémi Thiéblemont ◽  
Slimane Bekki ◽  
Svetlana Botsyun ◽  
Pierre Sepulchre
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Stratospheric Ozone ◽  
Ozone Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
Total Column Ozone ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Ozone Distribution ◽  
Hot Climate ◽  
Ozone Column

Abstract. The stratospheric ozone layer plays a key role in atmospheric thermal structure and circulation. Although stratospheric ozone distribution is sensitive to changes in composition and climate, the modifications of stratospheric ozone are not usually considered in climate studies at geological time scales. Here, we evaluate with a chemical-climate model the potential role of stratospheric ozone chemistry in the case of the Eocene hot conditions. We show that the structure of the ozone layer is significantly different under these conditions (4×CO2 climate and high concentrations of tropospheric N2O and CH4). While at mid and high latitudes, the total column ozone is found to be enhanced, the tropical ozone column remains more or less unchanged. These ozone changes are related to the stratospheric cooling and an acceleration of stratospheric Brewer-Dobson circulation simulated under Eocene climate. The meridional distribution of the total ozone column appears also to be strongly modified, showing particularly pronounced mid-latitudes maxima and steeper negative poleward gradient from these maxima. These anomalies are consistent with changes in the seasonal evolution of the polar vortex during the winter, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Compared to a pre-industrial atmospheric composition, the changes in local ozone concentration reach up to 40 % for zonal annual mean and affect temperature by a few Kelvins in the middle stratosphere. As inter-model differences in simulating the deep past temperatures are quite high, the consideration of atmospheric chemistry, which is computationally demanding in Earth system models, may seem superfluous. However, our results suggest that using stratospheric ozone calculated by the model (and hence more physically consistent with Eocene conditions) instead of the commonly specified preindustrial ozone distribution can change the simulated global surface air temperature by 14 %. This error is of the same order as the effect of non-CO2 boundary conditions (topography, bathymetry, solar constant &amp; vegetation). Moreover, the results highlight the sensitivity of stratospheric ozone to hot climate conditions. Since the climate sensitivity to stratospheric ozone feedback largely differs between models, it must be better constrained not only for deep past conditions but also for future climates.

scholarly journals Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelet on the Carbonation Depth of Concrete under Changing Climate Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (19) ◽  
pp. 9265
Author(s):  
Yingzi Zhang ◽  
Yanze Wang ◽  
Mingqian Yang ◽  
Huatao Wang ◽  
Guofang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control Sample ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Carbonation Depth ◽  
Graphene Nanoplatelet ◽  
Carbonation Reaction ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Ordinary Concrete ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Climate change has been unprecedented in the past decades or even thousands of years, which has had an adverse impact on the mechanical properties of concrete structures. Many researchers have begun to study new concrete materials. Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) is an attractive nanomaterial that can change the crystal structure of concrete and improve durability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of GNP (0.05%wt) on the carbonation depth of concrete under simulated changing climate conditions (varying temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration), and compare it with ordinary concrete. When the concentration of CO2 is variable, the carbonation depth of graphene concrete is 10% to 20% lower than that of ordinary concrete. When the temperature is lower than 33 °C, the carbonation depth of graphene concrete is less than that of the control sample; however, above 33 °C, the thermal conductivity of GNP increases the carbonation reaction rate of concrete. When the humidity is a variable, the carbonation depth of graphene concrete is less than 15% to 30% of ordinary concrete, and when the humidity is higher than 78%, the difference in the carbonation depth between the ordinary concrete and the graphene concrete decreases gradually. The overall results indicated that GNP has a favorable effect on anti-carbonation performance under changing climate conditions.

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