In addition, Cicerone took air samples from rice paddies in Texas and Japan in 1997 and 1998 during selected phases of plant growth and harvest, and in comparing data with the Maxwell study, found that halide and organic differences in various soils influence emission amounts. The UCI team followed its Maxwell research by monitoring a planting season in rice paddies near Houston. In addition, Redeker is involved with greenhouse studies on the UCI campus, growing rice in different soil and water conditions to study the impact on methyl halide emissions. Eventually, Cicerone and his team would like to expand this research to rice-growing regions in Southeast Asia and to other plants. Studying rice farming is important in understanding the natural sources of ozone-depleting gases.
Rice is the world's largest crop and is the primary source of food for billions.
As the human population grows, so will the need for increased rice cultivation. Currently, it is estimated that rice paddies cover 1 percent of the Earth's landmass. Rice paddies also are a significant contributor of methane, a greenhouse gas, which forms in soil pores and is passed into the air through the rice plant. The study was conducted by researchers from UCI's departments of Earth System Science and Chemistry. Assisting Cicerone and Redeker were associate researchers Stanley Tyler and Nun-Yii Wang and graduate student researchers Jason C. Low and Andrew M. McMillan.