Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Subsurface Soils of Agricultural Ecosystems
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a prime greenhouse gas and cultivated soils are the most important anthropogenic source. N2O production and consumption are known to occur at depths below the A or Ap horizon, but their magnitude in situ is largely unknown. At a site in SW Michigan, USA, we measured N2O concentrations at different soil depths and used diffusivity models to examine the importance of depth-specific production and consumption. Additionally, we tested the influence of crop and management practices on subsurface N2O production in (1) till versus no-till, (2) a nitrogen fertilizer gradient, and (3) perennial crops including successional vegetation. N2O concentrations below 20 cm exceeded atmospheric concentrations by up to 900 times, and profile concentrations increased markedly with depth except immediately after fertilization when production was intense in the surface horizon, and in winter, when surface emissions were blocked by ice. Diffusivity analysis showed that N2O production at depth was especially important in annual crops, accounting for over 50% of total N2O production when crops were fertilized at recommended rates. At nitrogen fertilizer rates exceeding crop need, subsurface N2O production contributed 25–35% of total surface emissions. Dry conditions deepened the maximum depth of N2O production. Tillage did not. Inmore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), Madison, WI (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); US National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement; Long-Term Ecological Research
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1619438
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1556070
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FC02-07ER64494; SC0018409; DEB 1110683; DEB 1027253; DEB 1637653
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Ecosystems
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Ecosystems Journal Volume: 22 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1432-9840
- Publisher:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; greenhouse gas emissions; agriculture; subsurface N2O production; N2O concentration profile; N2O diffusion; soil subsurface; alfalfa (Medicago sativa); corn (Zea mays); poplar (Populus sp.)
Citation Formats
Shcherbak, Iurii, and Robertson, G. Philip. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Subsurface Soils of Agricultural Ecosystems. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1007/s10021-019-00363-z.
Shcherbak, Iurii, & Robertson, G. Philip. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Subsurface Soils of Agricultural Ecosystems. United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00363-z
Shcherbak, Iurii, and Robertson, G. Philip. Mon .
"Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Subsurface Soils of Agricultural Ecosystems". United States. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-019-00363-z.
@article{osti_1619438,
title = {Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emissions from Subsurface Soils of Agricultural Ecosystems},
author = {Shcherbak, Iurii and Robertson, G. Philip},
abstractNote = {Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a prime greenhouse gas and cultivated soils are the most important anthropogenic source. N2O production and consumption are known to occur at depths below the A or Ap horizon, but their magnitude in situ is largely unknown. At a site in SW Michigan, USA, we measured N2O concentrations at different soil depths and used diffusivity models to examine the importance of depth-specific production and consumption. Additionally, we tested the influence of crop and management practices on subsurface N2O production in (1) till versus no-till, (2) a nitrogen fertilizer gradient, and (3) perennial crops including successional vegetation. N2O concentrations below 20 cm exceeded atmospheric concentrations by up to 900 times, and profile concentrations increased markedly with depth except immediately after fertilization when production was intense in the surface horizon, and in winter, when surface emissions were blocked by ice. Diffusivity analysis showed that N2O production at depth was especially important in annual crops, accounting for over 50% of total N2O production when crops were fertilized at recommended rates. At nitrogen fertilizer rates exceeding crop need, subsurface N2O production contributed 25–35% of total surface emissions. Dry conditions deepened the maximum depth of N2O production. Tillage did not. In systems with perennial vegetation, subsurface N2O production contributed less than 20% to total surface emissions. Results suggest that the fraction of total N2O produced in subsurface horizons can be substantial in annual crops, is low under perennial vegetation, appears to be largely controlled by subsurface nitrogen and moisture, and is insensitive to tillage.},
doi = {10.1007/s10021-019-00363-z},
journal = {Ecosystems},
number = 7,
volume = 22,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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