Energy inputs and carbon dioxide emissions from turf maintenance equipment on a golf course in California

Abstract

The potential negative effects of human activities on global climate have generated significant interests in recent years.  Reducing or offsetting carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions has been central to such discussion among and between state and federal regulatory agencies.  Although emissions data from industrial, transportation and agronomic systems have been studied extensively, little data exists for managed ecosystems such as residential and municipal landscapes or sports turf facilities.  Even though these intensively managed landscapes are a significant component of modern agriculture in the United States, very little CO₂ emission studies have been conducted on these systems.  The objective of this study was to quantify energy inputs and the carbon emissions of a standard size 18-hole golf course in California's Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions of the world.  Carbon dioxide emissions from annual maintenance and carbon sequestered by soils and vegetation of such intensively managed ecosystems were also examined.  These analyses included energy inputs required for equipment manufacturing and subsequent annual fuel consumption from the use of equipment during daily operations.  Our estimates indicated that the total energy requirement for this golf course was 1149 GJ year^-1 or 13.1 GJ ha^-1 year^-1.  The carbon emissions calculated utilizing these energy input estimates indicated that this site also sequesters more CO₂ than it generates during routine turfgrass maintenance operations.