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Project title

Sourcing and Assessing Agricultural Activity Data for Modelling and National Estimates of Greenhouse Gases

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

University College Dublin (UCD)

Lead Applicant

Ibrahim Khalil

Project Abstract

Ireland is currently using the IPCC guidelines for agricultural greenhouse gas (GHGs) inventory primarily due to limited activity data (AD) and measured emission factors (EFs). The challenge is to scale up GHGs and EFs to national scales using improved field-scale models as many of those currently available may not be directly applicable to Irish conditions. DAFM has funded a AGRI-I Consortium and initiated several linked projects in association with EPA. This fellowship will have strong linkages to, and complement, these initiatives, leading to the development of Tier 2 and 3 reporting protocols. The aim is to source, make availability of AD constrained by variable policies across organizations, and assess AD using standard statistical/mathematical procedures to generate disaggregated datasets that meet the specific national requirements. AD gaps and key drivers will be identified and prioritized through compilation and synthesis of the IPCC guidelines and the use of emerging models. This includes development of methodologies, proxies and uncertainty analyses of AD and EFs using Monte-Carlo methods, and recommend further steps to improve the estimates of GHG emissions and removals. Sectoral and whole farm baseline EFs will be established through better descriptions of management practices and how mitigation measures impact on GHG emissions.

Grant Approved

�192,222.00

Research Hub

Climate Change

Research Theme

Carbon Stocks, GHG Emissions, Sinks and Management Options

Start Date

01/04/2015

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/03/2017