Premium
Nitrous oxide emissions from temperate grassland ecosystems in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Author(s) -
Müller Christoph,
Sherlock Robert R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
global biogeochemical cycles
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.512
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1944-9224
pISSN - 0886-6236
DOI - 10.1029/2003gb002175
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , temperate climate , environmental science , grassland , nitrification , ecosystem , denitrification , nitrogen , ammonium , nitrate , atmospheric sciences , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental chemistry , terrestrial ecosystem , ecology , chemistry , geology , biology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Nitrogen (N) fertilized or grazed grasslands in temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are important sources for atmospheric nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Following synthetic urine applications in a New Zealand grassland ecosystem, and ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrate (NO 3 − ) applications to a German grassland ecosystem, approximately 31, 16, and 5%, respectively, of the total emitted N 2 O (N 2 O tot ) was produced by nitrification (N 2 O nit ) with the rest being produced by denitrification (N 2 O den ). Analyses of the combined data set showed that 75% of all N 2 O emissions occurred above 60% water filled porosity (WFPS) and that more than 80% of all N 2 O emissions occurred at soil temperatures between 10° and 15°C. N 2 O den emissions were associated with a WFPS value at around 80% at relatively low NO 3 − concentrations, while N 2 O nit emissions only occurred at high NH 4 + levels shortly after N application at soil temperatures around 10°C. To increase the accuracy of predictions with simple mathematical models, such as the “hole‐in‐the‐pipe‐model,” long‐term validation data sets are needed where driving variables are related to measured N 2 O nit and N 2 O den data.