『Abstract
The soil emission rates (fluxes) of nitrous oxide (N2O)
and nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2 = NOx)
through a seasonal snowpack were determined by a flux gradient
method from near-continuous 2-year measurements using an automated
system for sampling interstitial air at various heights within
the snowpack from a subalpine site at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. The
winter seasonal-averaged N2O fluxes of 0.047-0.069
nmol m-2 s-1 were 〜15 times higher than
observed NOx fluxes of 0.0030-0.0067 nmol
m-2 s-1. During spring N2O
emissions first peaked and then dropped sharply as the soil water
content increased from the release of snowpack meltwater, while
other gases, including NOx and CO2
did not show this behavior. To compare and contrast the winter
fluxes with snow-free conditions, N2O fluxes
were also measured at the same site in the summers of 2006 and
2007 using a closed soil chamber method. Summer N2O
fluxes followed a decreasing trend during the dry-out period after
snowmelt, interrupted by higher values related to precipitation
events. These peaks were up to 2-3 times higher than the background
summer levels. The integrated N2O-N loss
over the summer period was calculated to be 1.1-2.4 kg N ha-1,
compared to 〜0.24-0.34 kg N ha-1 for the winter season.
These wintertime N2O fluxes from subniveal
soil are generally higher than the few preciously published data.
These results are of the same order of magnitude as data from
more productive ecosystems such as fertilized grasslands and high-N-cycling
forests, most likely because of a combination of the relatively
well-developed soils and the fact that subnivean biogeochemical
processes are promoted by the deep, insulating snowpack. Hence,
microbially mediated oxidized nitrogen emissions occurring during
the winter can be a significant part of the N-cycle in seasonally
snow-covered subalpine ecosystems.
Keywords: Denitrification; Nitrification; Nitrogen oxides; Nitrous
oxide; Snowpack; Soil biogeochemistry』
Introduction
Materials and methods
Description of the study site
Snowpack gradient sampling method
N2O data
NOx data
N2O measurement method
NO/NO2 measurement method
Environmental parameters
Winter flux measurements and calculations
Summer flux measurements and calculations
Soil analyses
Statistical analyses
Advection correction
Results and discussion
Soil nitrogen pools
Winter results
Summer results
Seasonal (NOx) and annual (N2O)
budgets
Comparison with other ecosystems
Controls on N gas fluxes: summer period
Controls on N gas fluxes: winter and snowmelt period
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References