01 April 2011 New centre at Lincoln University gets the measure of greenhouse gas emissions

The National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement at Lincoln University was formally opened today (1 April) by the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. David Carter. The Centre provides a tripling in New Zealand’s capacity to measure nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions. With a capacity to process more than 1000 nitrous oxide samples a day, the new Centre is one of the best specialist facilities of its type in the world.

Funding of $0.5m for the new facility was provided by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC), located at AgResearch Grasslands, Palmerston North, in response to an urgent need to increase New Zealand’s nitrous oxide measurement capacity.  This funding enabled the upgrading and extension of an existing laboratory to provide a single facility, purpose designed to house nitrous oxide measurement equipment previously distributed across multiple sites. 

The National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement has seven gas chromatographs for measuring nitrous oxide, each equipped with an auto-sampler and a computer enabling the rapid processing of large numbers of gas samples.  Two technical officers are funded to support the Centre. Lincoln University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roger Field, says the University is “delighted to host this important Centre to enhance our research capacity and to work together with our partners in reducing the environmental impact of pastoral farming”.       

Nitrous oxide makes up around one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions from New Zealand agriculture. Professor Hong J. Di, Professor of Soil and Environmental Science at Lincoln University and Principal Investigator of the nitrous oxide mitigation research programme within the NZAGRC says “investment in the National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement confirms New Zealand’s commitment to reducing nitrous oxide emissions from pastoral agriculture and reinforces our leadership in agricultural greenhouse gas research. Our work in the Centre will also complement Lincoln University’s long-standing parallel involvement with the processes and mitigation of nitrate leaching in agricultural soils”.

The Director of the NZAGRC, Dr Harry Clark, says “Our goal is to develop technologies and practices that reduce agricultural emissions and the National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement will enhance New Zealand’s capacity in the nitrous oxide measurement area and facilitate the forging of the national and international partnerships that are necessary to achieve this goal”.