Data on nitrous oxide emissions and flux measurements at various boma sites in Kenya

This data record consists of a single dataset, Butterbach-Bahl et al_Measurement data summary plus upscaled emissions.xlsx, in .xlsx file format.The file contains data on N2O emissions from abandoned bomas, as well as a summary of N2O flux measurements at various boma sites in Kenya.For more details on the contents of the dataset, please read the related ReadMe file, Read Me_Data description.pdf.Study aims and methodology:Anthropogenic disturbance of the global nitrogen cycle has led to significant increases of atmospheric N2O concentrations from pre-industrial levels of 270 ppbv to 331.1 ppbv in 2018. This has been mainly attributed to the increasing use of synthetic fertilizers since the 1950’s to boost crop production; however, N2O emissions associated with manure management is also one of the key drivers of atmospheric N2O increase since pre-industrial times with its current contribution estimated at 0.33 Tg N2O yr-1 or 3% of all anthropogenic N2O sources. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to approximately ¼ of the global livestock population, which in the last 60 years has increased by factors of 2.5 – 4 times for cattle, goats and sheep. An important resource for pastoralists, most livestock live in semi-arid and arid environments, where they roam during the day and are kept in enclosures (or bomas) during the night. Manure, although rich in nitrogen, is rarely used, and therefore accumulates in bomas over time. In this study, the authors present in-situ measurements of N2O fluxes from 46 bomas in Kenya.At seven different semi-arid and arid savanna regions in Kenya, N2O measurements from soils at 46 boma sites and 22 adjacent reference sites (undisturbed savanna) were carried out.Environmental variables including gravimetric and volumetric soil water content, soil and air temperatures, organic layer thickness, and aboveground plant biomass (if present) were measured in all plots.For regression analyses on controlling parameters of N2O fluxes, the authors calculated an average flux per boma (or control) site for the analyses.To estimate overall N2O emissions of bomas over time, a simple regression model relating boma age (since abandonment) to average boma N2O fluxes on a log-log scale, was built.For more details on the methodology, please reads the related article.