ISSN: 2474-8846
Authors: Uzoma KC* and Onwuka BM
The impact of extreme weather events were studied in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. The objective of the study was to ascertain the impacts of short drought and long drought on organic carbon content and CO2 emission. Soil samples were randomly collected at 3 sampling points at 0 – 15 and 15 – 30 cm depth and subjected to induced weather condition of short drought/heavy rainfall and long drought/low rainfall. Analysis of variance was used to compare the influence of weather events on the measured soil properties at different depths and significant means were separated using least significant differences at 5% level of probability. Line graph was used to represent the impact of extreme weather event on the emission of CO2. Results showed that emitted carbon dioxide, organic carbon, total nitrogen and C:N varied with the induced weather events at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks and 8 weeks. Higher organic carbon, total nitrogen and C:N were recorded under short drought/heavy rainfall (2 and 4 weeks). The volume of carbon dioxide emitted was lower in long drought/low rainfall (310 cm3 – 345 cm3) than in short drought/heavy rainfall (45cm3 – 97 cm3) with the quality of organic matter, and the extent to which these organic substrates are protected from microbial attack by adsorption to clay surfaces and inclusion in micro-aggregates playing an important role in supressing carbon dioxide production.
Keywords: Climate Change; Weather Conditions; Rainfall; Drought; Carbon Dioxide Emission; Temperature
