Orlaith Ní Choncubhair

Research Interests

The area of research I am focused on is carbon cycle dynamics in grassland ecosystems. The project aim is to assess the potential for carbon sequestration across an intensity gradient of pasture management and to investigate the drivers and controls of carbon accumulation in grassland soils. The experimental methodology involves direct measurement of carbon exchange in pasture systems at an ecosystem-scale using a micrometeorological technique known as eddy covariance. These results will be compared with computer simulation of carbon and nitrogen cycle processes in these grasslands using the process-oriented biogeochemical Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model.

Other research interests include the greenhouse gas mitigation potential of biomass crops such as Miscanthus and Reed Canary Grass established for renewable energy production and the carbon balance implications of land-use change.

Current Projects

• ANIMAL CHANGE (RMIS No. 6115) – An Integration of Mitigation and Adaptation Options for Sustainable Livestock Production Under Climate Change