Soil nitrous oxide and nitric oxide emissions as indicators of elevated atmospheric N deposition rates in seminatural ecosystems

Abstract Agricultural and forest soils with low organic C content and high alkalinity were studied over 17 days to investigate the potential response of the atmospheric pollutant nitric oxide (NO) and the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) on (1) increased N deposition rates to forest soil; (2) different fertilizer types to agricultural soil and (3) a simulated rain event to forest and agricultural soils. Cumulative forest soil NO emissions (148–350 ng NO-N g−1) were ~ 4 times larger than N2O emissions (37–69 ng N2O-N g−1). Contrary, agricultural soil NO emissions (21–376 ng NO-N g−1) were ~ 16 times smaller than N2O emissions (45–8491 ng N2O-N g−1). Increasing N deposition rates 10 fold to 30 kg N ha−1 yr−1, doubled soil NO emissions and NO3− concentrations. As such high N deposition rates are not atypical in China, more attention should be paid on forest soil NO research. Comparing the fertilizers urea, ammonium nitrate, and urea coated with the urease inhibitor ‘Agrotain®,’ demonstrated that the inhibitor significantly reduced NO and N2O emissions. This is an unintended, not well-known benefit, because the primary function of Agrotain® is to reduce emissions of the atmospheric pollutant ammonia. Simulating a climate change event, a large rainfall after drought, increased soil NO and N2O emissions from both agricultural and forest soils. Such pulses of emissions can contribute significantly to annual NO and N2O emissions, but currently do not receive adequate attention amongst the measurement and modeling communities.

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Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide emission from Hungarian forest soils; link with atmospheric N-deposition

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-2-703-2005 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 703-723 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L. Horváth ◽

E. Führer ◽

K. Lajtha

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Forest Soils ◽

N2o Emission ◽

N Deposition ◽

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽

Atmospheric N Deposition ◽

Wetland Ecosystems ◽

Soil Emissions ◽

One Year

Abstract. Studies of forest nitrogen (N) budgets generally measure inputs to the atmosphere in wet and dry precipitation and outputs via hydrologic export. Although denitrification has been shown to be important in many wetland ecosystems, emission of nitrogen oxides from forest soils is an important, and often overlooked, component of an ecosystem nitrogen budget. During one year (2002-2003), emissions of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured from Sessile oak and Norway spruce forest soils in northeast Hungary. Accumulation in small static chambers followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection was used for the estimation of N2O emission flux. Because there are rapid chemical reactions of NO and ozone, small dynamic chambers were used for in situ NO flux measurements. Average soil emissions of NO were 1.2 and 2.1 µgNm-2h-1, and for N2O were 15 and 20 µgNm-2h-1, for spruce and oak soils, respectively. The previously determined nitrogen balance between the atmosphere and the forest ecosystem was re-calculated using these soil emission figures. The total (dry + wet) atmospheric N-deposition to the soil was 1.42 and 1.59gNm-2yr-1 for spruce and oak, respectively, while the soil emissions are 0.14 and 0.20 gNm-2yr-1. Thus, about 10-13% of N compounds deposited to the soil, mostly as NH3/NH4+ and HNO3/NO3-, are transformed in the soil and emitted back to the atmosphere, mostly as a greenhouse gas (N2O).

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