Wolfgang Seiler

Bio: Wolfgang Seiler is an academic researcher from Max Planck Society. The author has contributed to research in topics: Troposphere & Stratosphere. The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 52 publications receiving 6121 citations. Previous affiliations of Wolfgang Seiler include National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Biomass burning as a source of atmospheric gases CO, H 2 , N 2 O, NO, CH 3 Cl and COS

Abstract: Biomass burning can contribute extensively to the budgets of several gases which are important in atmospheric chemistry. In several cases the emission is comparable to the technological source. Most burning takes place in the tropics in the dry season and is caused by man's activities.

Methane production by domestic animals, wild ruminants, other herbivorous fauna, and humans

Abstract: A detailed assessment of global methane production through enteric fermentation by domestic animals and humans is presented. Measured relations between feed intake and methane yields for animal species are combined with population statistics to deduce a current yearly input of methane to the atmosphere of 74 Tg (1 Tg = 10 12 g). with an uncertainty of about 15%. Of this, cattle contribute about 74%. Buffalos and sheep each account for 8-9%, and the remainder stems from camels, mules and asses, pigs, and horses. Human CH 4 production is probably less than 1 Tg per year. The mean annual increase in CH 4 emission from domestic animals and humans over the past 20 years has been 0.6 Tg, or 0.75% per year. Population figures on wild ruminants are so uncertain that calculated CH, emissions from this source may range between 2 Tg and 6 Tg per year. Current CH 4 emission by domestic and wild animals is estimated to be about 78 Tg, representing 15-25% of the total CH 4 released to the atmosphere from all sources. The likely CH 4 production from domestic animals in 1890 was about 17 Tg, so that this source has increased by a factor of 4.4. A brief tentative discussion is also given on the potential CH 4 production by other herbivorous fauna, especially insects. Their total CH 4 production probably does not exceed 30 Tg annually. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1986.tb00193.x

Biomass burning as a source of atmospheric gases CO, H2, N2O, NO, CH3Cl and COS

Abstract: The potential importance of deforestation and biomass burning for the atmospheric CO2 cycle has received much attention and caused some controversy. Biomass burning can contribute extensively to the budgets of several gases which are important in atmospheric chemistry. In several cases the emission is comparable to the technological source. Most burning takes place in the tropics in the dry season and is caused by man’s activities. The potential importance of deforestation and biomass burning for the atmospheric CO2 cycle has received much attention and caused some controversy. In this article we will show the probable importance of biomass burning as a trace gas source, which is caused by man’s activities in the tropics. We used the results of our global biomass burning analysis to derive some rough estimates of the sources of the important atmospheric trace gases CO, H2, CH4, N2O, NOx (NO and NO2), COS and CH3Cl from the worldwide burning of biomass.

Tropospheric chemical composition measurements in Brazil during the dry season

Abstract: Field measurement programs in Brazil during the dry seasons in August and September 1979 and 1980 have demonstrated the large importance of the continental tropics in global air chemistry. Many important trace gases are produced in large amounts over the continents. During the dry season, much biomass burning takes place, especially in the cerrado regions, leading to a substantial emission of air pollutants, such as CO, NO x , N2O, CH4 and other hydrocarbons. Ozone concentrations are enhanced due to photochemical reactions. The large biogenic organic emissions from tropical forests play an important role in the photochemistry of the atmosphere and explain why CO is present in such high concentrations in the boundary layer of the tropical forest. Carbon monoxide production may represent more than 3% of the net primary productivity of the tropical forests. Ozone concentrations in the boundary layer of the tropical forests indicate strong removal processes. Due to atmospheric supply of NO x by lightning, there is probably a large production of O3 in the free troposphere over the Amazon tropical forests. This is transported to the marine-free troposphere and to the forest boundary layer.

Effects of vegetation on the emission of methane from submerged paddy soil

Abstract: Methane emission rates from rice-vegetated paddy fields followed a seasonal pattern different to that of weed-covered or unvegetated fields. Presence of rice plants stimulated the emission of CH4 both in the laboratory and in the field. In unvegetated paddy fields CH4 was emitted almost exclusively by ebullition. By contrast, in rice-vegetated fields more than 90% of the CH4 emission was due to plant-mediated transport. Rice plants stimulated methanogenesis in the submerged soil, but also enhanced the CH4 oxidation rates within the rhizosphere so that only 23% of the produced CH4 was emitted. Gas bubbles in vegetated paddy soils contained lower CH4 mixing ratios than in unvegetated fiels. Weed plants were also efficient in mediating gas exchnage between submerged soil and atmosphere, but did not stimulate methanogenesis. Weed plants caused a relatively high redox potential in the submerged soil so that 95% of the produced CH4 was oxidized and did not reach the atmosphere. The emission of CH4 was stimulated, however, when the cultures were incubated under gas atmospheres containing acetylene or consisting of O2-free nitrogen.

Emission of trace gases and aerosols from biomass burning

Abstract: A large body of information on emissions from the various types of biomass burning has been accumulated over the past decade, to a large extent as a result of International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme/International Global Atmospheric Chemistry research activities. Yet this information has not been readily accessible to the atmospheric chemistry community because it was scattered over a large number of publications and reported in numerous different units and reference systems. We have critically evaluated the presently available data and integrated these into a consistent format. On the basis of this analysis we present a set of emission factors for a large variety of species emitted from biomass fires. Where data were not available, we have proposed estimates based on appropriate extrapolation techniques. We have derived global estimates of pyrogenic emissions for important species emitted by the various types of biomass burning and compared our estimates with results from inverse modeling studies.

Biomass Burning in the Tropics: Impact on Atmospheric Chemistry and Biogeochemical Cycles

Abstract: The use of fire as a tool to manipulate the environment has been instrumental in the human conquest of Earth, the first evidence of the use of fires by early hominids dating back to 1–1.5 million years ago [1]. Even today, most human-ignited vegetation fires take place on the African continent, and its widespread, frequently burned savannas bear ample witness to this. Although natural fires can occur even in tropical forest regions [2, 3], the extent of fires has greatly expanded on all continents with the arrival of Homo sapiens. Measurements of charcoal in dated sediment cores have shown clear correlations between the rate of burning and human settlement [4]. Pollen records show a shift with human settlement from pyrophobic vegetation to pyrotolerant and pyrophilic species, testimony to the large ecological impact of human-induced fires.

Couplings between changes in the climate system and biogeochemistry

Abstract: Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry Coordinating Lead Authors: Kenneth L. Denman (Canada), Guy Brasseur (USA, Germany) Lead Authors: Amnat Chidthaisong (Thailand), Philippe Ciais (France), Peter M. Cox (UK), Robert E. Dickinson (USA), Didier Hauglustaine (France), Christoph Heinze (Norway, Germany), Elisabeth Holland (USA), Daniel Jacob (USA, France), Ulrike Lohmann (Switzerland), Srikanthan Ramachandran (India), Pedro Leite da Silva Dias (Brazil), Steven C. Wofsy (USA), Xiaoye Zhang (China) Contributing Authors: D. Archer (USA), V. Arora (Canada), J. Austin (USA), D. Baker (USA), J.A. Berry (USA), R. Betts (UK), G. Bonan (USA), P. Bousquet (France), J. Canadell (Australia), J. Christian (Canada), D.A. Clark (USA), M. Dameris (Germany), F. Dentener (EU), D. Easterling (USA), V. Eyring (Germany), J. Feichter (Germany), P. Friedlingstein (France, Belgium), I. Fung (USA), S. Fuzzi (Italy), S. Gong (Canada), N. Gruber (USA, Switzerland), A. Guenther (USA), K. Gurney (USA), A. Henderson-Sellers (Switzerland), J. House (UK), A. Jones (UK), C. Jones (UK), B. Karcher (Germany), M. Kawamiya (Japan), K. Lassey (New Zealand), C. Le Quere (UK, France, Canada), C. Leck (Sweden), J. Lee-Taylor (USA, UK), Y. Malhi (UK), K. Masarie (USA), G. McFiggans (UK), S. Menon (USA), J.B. Miller (USA), P. Peylin (France), A. Pitman (Australia), J. Quaas (Germany), M. Raupach (Australia), P. Rayner (France), G. Rehder (Germany), U. Riebesell (Germany), C. Rodenbeck (Germany), L. Rotstayn (Australia), N. Roulet (Canada), C. Sabine (USA), M.G. Schultz (Germany), M. Schulz (France, Germany), S.E. Schwartz (USA), W. Steffen (Australia), D. Stevenson (UK), Y. Tian (USA, China), K.E. Trenberth (USA), T. Van Noije (Netherlands), O. Wild (Japan, UK), T. Zhang (USA, China), L. Zhou (USA, China) Review Editors: Kansri Boonpragob (Thailand), Martin Heimann (Germany, Switzerland), Mario Molina (USA, Mexico) This chapter should be cited as: Denman, K.L., G. Brasseur, A. Chidthaisong, P. Ciais, P.M. Cox, R.E. Dickinson, D. Hauglustaine, C. Heinze, E. Holland, D. Jacob, U. Lohmann, S Ramachandran, P.L. da Silva Dias, S.C. Wofsy and X. Zhang, 2007: Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.