NITROGEN COMPOUND EMISSION FROM BIOMASS BURNING IN TROPICAL AFRICAN SAVANNA FOS/DECAFE-1991 EXPERIMENT (LAMTO, IVORY-COAST)

Gaseous nitrogen compounds (NOx, NOy, NH3, N2O) were measured at ground level in smoke plumes of prescribed savanna fires in Lamto, in the southern Ivory Coast, during the FOS/DECAFE experiment in January 1991. During the flaming phase, the linear regression between delta[NOx] and delta[CO2] (differences in concentration between smoke plumes and atmosheric background) results volumic emission ratio delta[NOx]/delta[CO2] = 1.37 x 10(-3) with only slight differences between heading and backing fires. Nearly 90% of the nitrogen oxides are emitted as NO. Average emission ratios of other compounds are: 1.91, 0.047, and 0.145 x 10(-3) for NOy, NH3 and N2O, respectively. The emission ratios obtained during this field experiment are compred with corresponding values measured during former experiments with the same plant species in combustion chambers. An accurate determination of both the biomass actually burned and of the plant nitrogen content, allows an assessment of emission fluxes of N-compounds from Guinean savanna bums. Preliminary results dealing with the influence of fire on biogenic emissions from soils are also reported.