Development and validation of a biophysical model of enteric methane emissions from Australian beef feedlots

Abstract

Feedlot producers face considerable pressure to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus. This paper reports on the development and validation of a biophysical model to predict greenhouse gas emissions from Australian beef feedlots, specifically enteric methane emissions. The developed model was based on the current Australian methodology for greenhouse sources and sinks, with the addition of two recently developed beef cattle specific models. The model was validated using the results of published studies and compared with emissions measured using open path spectroscopy and micrometeorology from two Australian feedlots during two seasons. The best perform..