Published March 19, 2018
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Nitrogen-rich organic soils under warm well-drained conditions are global nitrous oxide emission hotspots.

Creators

  • 1. Department of Geography, Tartu
  • 2. Ecology and Biodiversity, Departement of Biology
  • 3. Institute of Meteoroly and Climate Research
  • 4. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology [Edinburgh]
  • 5. School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
  • 6. Natural Resources Institute Finland
  • 7. Department of Earth Sciences [Gothenburg]
  • 8. Centre national de la recherche scientifique
  • 9. UNESCO Chair of Environnemental Dynamics and Climate Change
  • 10. Atmospheric Composition Research [Helsinki]
  • 11. Department of Botany [Tartu]
  • 12. Florida Gulf Coast University
  • 13. University College Dublin
  • 14. Estonian University of Life Sciences
  • 15. Estonian Fund for Nature
  • 16. School of Geographical Sciences [Bristol]
  • 17. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment
  • 18. Department of Agricultural Production, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • 19. Hydrosystems and Bioprocesses Research Unit
  • 20. Grupo de Investigación Aplicada al Medio Ambiente
  • 21. Forest Resource Environment Development and Conservation Association

Description

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a powerful greenhouse gas and the main driver of stratospheric ozone depletion. Since soils are the largest source of N 2 O, predicting soil response to changes in climate or land use is central to understanding and managing N 2 O. Here we find that N 2 O flux can be predicted by models incorporating soil nitrate concentration (NO 3 −), water content and temperature using a global field survey of N 2 O emissions and potential driving factors across a wide range of organic soils. N 2 O emissions increase with NO 3 − and follow a bell-shaped distribution with water content. Combining the two functions explains 72% of N 2 O emission from all organic soils. Above 5 mg NO 3 −-N kg −1 , either draining wet soils or irrigating well-drained soils increases N 2 O emission by orders of magnitude. As soil temperature together with NO 3 − explains 69% of N 2 O emission, tropical wetlands should be a priority for N 2 O management.
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