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Title: Simultaneous numerical representation of soil microsite production and consumption of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide using probability distribution functions

Abstract

Abstract Production and consumption of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane (CH 4 ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are affected by complex interactions of temperature, moisture, and substrate supply, which are further complicated by spatial heterogeneity of the soil matrix. This microsite heterogeneity is often invoked to explain non‐normal distributions of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, also known as hot spots and hot moments. To advance numerical simulation of these belowground processes, we expanded the Dual Arrhenius and Michaelis–Menten model, to apply it consistently for all three GHGs with respect to the biophysical processes of production, consumption, and diffusion within the soil, including the contrasting effects of oxygen (O 2 ) as substrate or inhibitor for each process. High‐frequency chamber‐based measurements of all three GHGs at the Howland Forest (ME, USA) were used to parameterize the model using a multiple constraint approach. The area under a soil chamber is partitioned according to a bivariate log‐normal probability distribution function (PDF) of carbon and water content across a range of microsites, which leads to a PDF of heterotrophic respiration and O 2 consumption among microsites. Linking microsite consumption of O 2 with a diffusion model generates a broad range of micrositemore » concentrations of O 2 , which then determines the PDF of microsites that produce or consume CH 4 and N 2 O, such that a range of microsites occurs with both positive and negative signs for net CH 4 and N 2 O flux. Results demonstrate that it is numerically feasible for microsites of N 2 O reduction and CH 4 oxidation to co‐occur under a single chamber, thus explaining occasional measurement of simultaneous uptake of both gases. Simultaneous simulation of all three GHGs in a parsimonious modeling framework is challenging, but it increases confidence that agreement between simulations and measurements is based on skillful numerical representation of processes across a heterogeneous environment.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Maryland, Frostburg, MD (United States). Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Lab.
  2. Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, MA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1570113
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1581030
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Global Change Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 26; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 1354-1013
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; CH4; CO2; DAMM; DAMM‐GHG; greenhouse gas; N2O; probability distribution function; soil microsite

Citation Formats

Sihi, Debjani, Davidson, Eric A., Savage, Kathleen E., and Liang, Dong. Simultaneous numerical representation of soil microsite production and consumption of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide using probability distribution functions. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1111/GCB.14855.
Sihi, Debjani, Davidson, Eric A., Savage, Kathleen E., & Liang, Dong. Simultaneous numerical representation of soil microsite production and consumption of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide using probability distribution functions. United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/GCB.14855
Sihi, Debjani, Davidson, Eric A., Savage, Kathleen E., and Liang, Dong. Thu . "Simultaneous numerical representation of soil microsite production and consumption of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide using probability distribution functions". United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/GCB.14855. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1570113.
@article{osti_1570113,
title = {Simultaneous numerical representation of soil microsite production and consumption of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide using probability distribution functions},
author = {Sihi, Debjani and Davidson, Eric A. and Savage, Kathleen E. and Liang, Dong},
abstractNote = {Abstract Production and consumption of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane (CH 4 ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are affected by complex interactions of temperature, moisture, and substrate supply, which are further complicated by spatial heterogeneity of the soil matrix. This microsite heterogeneity is often invoked to explain non‐normal distributions of greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, also known as hot spots and hot moments. To advance numerical simulation of these belowground processes, we expanded the Dual Arrhenius and Michaelis–Menten model, to apply it consistently for all three GHGs with respect to the biophysical processes of production, consumption, and diffusion within the soil, including the contrasting effects of oxygen (O 2 ) as substrate or inhibitor for each process. High‐frequency chamber‐based measurements of all three GHGs at the Howland Forest (ME, USA) were used to parameterize the model using a multiple constraint approach. The area under a soil chamber is partitioned according to a bivariate log‐normal probability distribution function (PDF) of carbon and water content across a range of microsites, which leads to a PDF of heterotrophic respiration and O 2 consumption among microsites. Linking microsite consumption of O 2 with a diffusion model generates a broad range of microsite concentrations of O 2 , which then determines the PDF of microsites that produce or consume CH 4 and N 2 O, such that a range of microsites occurs with both positive and negative signs for net CH 4 and N 2 O flux. Results demonstrate that it is numerically feasible for microsites of N 2 O reduction and CH 4 oxidation to co‐occur under a single chamber, thus explaining occasional measurement of simultaneous uptake of both gases. Simultaneous simulation of all three GHGs in a parsimonious modeling framework is challenging, but it increases confidence that agreement between simulations and measurements is based on skillful numerical representation of processes across a heterogeneous environment.},
doi = {10.1111/GCB.14855},
journal = {Global Change Biology},
number = 1,
volume = 26,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Thu Oct 03 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

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Twenty‐five years of GCB : Putting the biology into global change
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