New paper examines responses of N2O production in soils and sediments to physicochemical perturbations

In a paper published in Biogeosciences, Nathaniel Weston and co-authors describe incubation experiments in which they monitored the responses to physicochemical perturbations of denitrification and N₂O production in agricultural soils and estuarine sediments. Microbial denitrification in soils and sediments is a major source of N₂O, a potent greenhouse gas that is also responsible for significant stratospheric ozone depletion. N₂O is produced as an intermediate compound during the reduction of oxidized forms of nitrogen to dinitrogen gas (N₂). Substrate availability (nitrate and organic matter) and environmental factors such as oxygen levels, temperature, moisture, and pH all affect the rates of denitrification and N₂O production. The results show that the perturbations initiate short-term responses that are accompanied by enhanced N₂O production. However, the N₂O production enhancement attenuates over time and with repeated perturbations indicating a relatively rapid adaptation of the denitrifying microbial communities. The first author is a faculty member at Villanova University. Co-authors include Philippe Van Cappellen and colleagues from other US institutions. The paper can be found at: https://bg.copernicus.org/articles