Research Brief: Nitrous oxide emissions from Corn Belt spike when soils freeze and thaw

Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide or methane. Often overlooked in climate change discussions because it’s less abundant in the atmosphere, its potency is about 300 times greater than carbon dioxide and researchers say its warming potential, especially via agriculture, demands attention.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Illinois, led by bioproducts and biosystems engineering graduate student Yufeng Yang, are investigating the drivers of agricultural nitrous oxide emissions from the U.S. Midwest in an effort to help stakeholders develop specific mitigation strategies to reduce nitrous oxide emissions.