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Observations collected between 2000 and 2008 at the Cabauw meteorological measurement platform in the Netherlands were conditionally sampled to select nights with stably stratified atmospheric conditions, clear skies and weak horizontal wind speeds (<3 m s−1). For these conditions the eddy-correlation latent heat fluxes are found to be negligibly small, while the conditionally sampled surface energy balance exhibits a maximum residual. However, inspection of the specific humidities for these conditions reveals systematic drying trends that are a maximum at the lowest measurement level above the surface. These drying trends occur for any prevailing wind direction. Latent heat fluxes are calculated from the humidity budget equation and from a Penman-Monteith dewfall model, with the results suggesting that during clear, stable nights the observed latent heat fluxes as obtained from the eddy-correlation technique are erroneously small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH4) emissions were compared for an intensively and extensively managed agricultural area on peat soils in the Netherlands to evaluate the effect of reduced management on the CH4 balance. Chamber measurements (photoacoustic methods) for CH4 were performed for a period of three years in the contributing landscape elements in the research sites. Various factors influencing CH4 emissions were evaluated and temperature of water and soil was found to be the main driver in both sites. For upscaling of CH4 fluxes to landscape scale, regression models were used which were specific for each of the contributing landforms. Ditches and bordering edges were emission hotspots and emitted together between 60% and 70% of the total terrestrial CH4 emissions. Annual terrestrial CH4 fluxes were estimated to be 203 (±48%), 162 (±60%) and 146 (±60%) kg CH4 ha−1 and 157 (±63%), 180 (±54%) and 163 (±59%) kg CH4 ha−1 in the intensively managed site and extensively managed site, for 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. About 70% of the CH4 was emitted in the summer period. Farm based emissions caused per year an additional 257 kg CH4 ha−1 and 172 kg CH4 ha−1 for the intensively managed site and extensively managed site, respectively. To further evaluate the effect of agricultural activity on the CH4 balance, the annual CH4 fluxes of the two managed sites were also compared to the emissions of a natural peat site with no management and high ground water levels. By comparing the terrestrial and additional farm based emissions of the three sites, we finally concluded that transformation of intensively managed agricultural land to nature development will lead to an increase in terrestrial CH4 emission, but will not by definition lead to a significant increase in CH4 emission when farm based emissions are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]