CH4 and CO emissions from rice straw burning in South East Asia

Atmospheric samples collected during rice straw burning at four different locations in Viet-Nam during the dry (March 1992, February 1993) and wet season (August 1992) were analysed for CO2, CO, and CH4. The emission ratios relative to CO2 for CO and CH4 for rice straw burning during the dry season were comparable to those observed on samples collected during burning of savanna in Africa or forest in the USA. During the wet season, however the emission ratios for CO and CH4 relative to CO2 were 3 to 10 times higher. With these emission ratios and estimates of rice production from Southeastern Asia, we estimated that burning of rice straw emits annually about 2.2 Tmol of CO (26 TgC) and 0.2 Tmol of CH4 (2.4 TgC) to the atmosphere. Taking into account these new results, CO and CH4 fluxes from biomass burning could be reevaluated by 5-21% and 5-24%, respectively, in respect with previous estimates of these gas emissions from all biomass burning activities.