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Title: Extreme enrichment in atmospheric 15N15N

Journal Article · · Science Advances
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [4];  [1]; ORCiD logo [5];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
  2. Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences; Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
  3. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
  4. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States). Dept. of Integrative Biology. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
  5. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
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Molecular nitrogen (N2) comprises three-quarters of Earth’s atmosphere and significant portions of other planetary atmospheres. We report a 19 per mil (‰) excess of 15N15N in air relative to a random distribution of nitrogen isotopes, an enrichment that is 10 times larger than what isotopic equilibration in the atmosphere allows. Biological experiments show that the main sources and sinks of N2 yield much smaller proportions of 15N15N in N2. Electrical discharge experiments, however, establish 15N15N excesses of up to +23‰. We argue that 15N15N accumulates in the atmosphere because of gas-phase chemistry in the thermosphere (>100 km altitude) on time scales comparable to those of biological cycling. The atmospheric 15N15N excess therefore reflects a planetary-scale balance of biogeochemical and atmospheric nitrogen chemistry, one that may also exist on other planets.

Research Organization:
Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States); Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States); Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
FC02-07ER64494; OCE-1533501; EAR-1349182; EAR-1348935; EAR-1530306
OSTI ID:
1499957
Journal Information:
Science Advances, Vol. 3, Issue 11; ISSN 2375-2548
Publisher:
AAASCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (5)

Observation of inconsistent carbon isotope compositions of chlorine-isotopologue pairs of individual organochlorines on gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry journal January 2020
Observation of inconsistent carbon isotope compositions of chlorine-isotopologue pairs of individual organochlorines on gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry text January 2020
Abiotic Input of Fixed Nitrogen by Bolide Impacts to Gale Crater During the Hesperian: Insights From the Mars Science Laboratory journal January 2019
Observation of inconsistent carbon isotope compositions of chlorine-isotopologue pairs of individual organochlorines on gas chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry text January 2020
In Situ Quantification of Biological N 2 Production Using Naturally Occurring 15 N 15 N journal April 2019

Figures / Tables (4)

Fig. 1.(p. 2)figure Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.(p. 2)figure Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.(p. 3)figure Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.(p. 4)figure Fig. 4.

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