Modeling Methane Emission from Rice Paddy Soils:Ⅰ.Model Development

With an understanding of the processes of methane production, oxidation and emission, a semi-empirical model, focused on the contributions of rice plants to the processes and also the influence of environmental factors, was developed to predict methane emission from rice paddy soils. In the present model, the amount of methane transported from the soil to the atmosphere was determined by the rates of CH4 production and an emitted fraction. The rates of CH4 production in irrigated rice soils were computed from the availability of methanogenic substrates that are primarily derived from rice plaaes and added organic matter and the influence of soil texture, soil redox potential and temperature. The fraction of methane emitted was assumed to be modulated by the rice plants and declines with rice growth and development. TO make it applicable to a wider area with limited data sets, a simplified version of the model was also derived to predict methane emission in a more practical manner.