Elevated Ozone Mitigates Warming-induced Methane Emissions in a Rice Paddy Field

Strategic Insights -

Research conducted at the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST) in Jiangsu, People's Republic of China, has shed light on the effects of elevated ozone (O3) and warming on methane (CH4) emissions in agricultural ecosystems. The study, funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), aimed to quantify the effects of O3 and warming on CH4 emissions from paddy fields.

Key Takeaways:

  • Elevated O3 concentrations significantly inhibited or tended to inhibit CH4 emissions from paddy fields at ambient temperature, especially at the jointing and booting stages of rice.
  • Elevated O3 mitigated the stimulatory effect of warming on CH4 emissions.
  • The effects of elevated O3 concentration and warming on CH4 emission were related to significant changes in soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and NH4+ content, but not to the number of rice tillers, soil pH, microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and NO3- content.
  • The study provides evidence that elevated O3 concentration and warming have an antagonistic effect on CH4 emissions from paddy fields.
  • The research concludes that to accurately predict global change impacts, the effects of both elevated O3 and warming should be incorporated within the CH4 models for paddy fields.
  • The study was conducted over a two-year period, with four treatments applied to the paddy fields: ambient O3 and ambient temperature (CK), elevated O3 and ambient temperature (E-O3), ambient O3 and elevated temperature (W), and elevated O3 and elevated temperature (EO3W).

Statistics:

  • 1.5 x ambient O3 concentration was used in the study to simulate elevated O3 conditions.
  • The study found a significant reduction in CH4 emissions at ambient temperature, especially at the jointing and booting stages of rice.
  • The stimulatory effect of warming on CH4 emissions was mitigated by elevated O3 concentrations.
  • The study involved four treatments, with 12 replicates each, for a total of 48 samples.

Sources:

  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
  • Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST)
  • Zhong, X., et al. (2025). Elevated Ozone Mitigates Warming-induced Methane Emissions In a Rice Paddy Field. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 385.
  • Feng, Z., et al. (2025). Elevated Ozone Mitigates Warming-induced Methane Emissions In a Rice Paddy Field. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 385.