A micrometeorological technique for detecting small differences in methane emissions from two groups of cattle

Potential approaches for reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions from cattle will require verification of their efficacy at the paddock scale. We designed a micrometeorological approach to compare emissions from two groups of grazing cattle. The approach consists of measuring line-averaged CH4 mole fractions upwind and downwind of each group and using a backward-Lagrangian stochastic model to compute CH4 emission rates from the observed mole fractions, in combination with turbulence statistics measured by a sonic anemometer. With careful screening for suitable wind conditions, a difference of 10% in group emission rates could be detected. This result was corroborated by simultaneous measurements of daily CH4 emissions from each animal with the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer-ratio technique.