Dr. Scott Chang | Professor
Department of Renewable Resources
Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences
University of Alberta
Rangelands are a significant global sink for atmospheric methane, however, little is known about the effects of grazing on the production and oxidation of this greenhouse gas. Dr. Chang and co-investigator Dr. Zhiping Wang (Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences) will examine the rates of methane production and oxidation in soils under various defoliation and watering treatments at the Mattheis Research Ranch. For this project, the effects of grazing under different management systems are simulated by defoliating experimental plots at high intensity and low frequency, high intensity and high frequency, and low intensity and high frequency. Results from this project will provide insights about the effects of grazing management on emissions of methane from rangeland soils.