N2O exchange between a grassland soil and the atmosphere

The recognition that NO, derived from atmospheric N 2 O, is an important factor in the destruction of stratospheric ozone 1 , and that atmospheric N 2 O may reduce radiative heat loss from the Earth's surface 2 , has stimulated interest 3–6 in the global sources and sinks for N 2 O. One possibi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1981-01, Vol.292 (5820), p.235-237
Main Author: Ryden, J.C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Humanities and Social Sciences
letter
multidisciplinary
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
soil chemistry
soil physics
soil science
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Summary:The recognition that NO, derived from atmospheric N 2 O, is an important factor in the destruction of stratospheric ozone 1 , and that atmospheric N 2 O may reduce radiative heat loss from the Earth's surface 2 , has stimulated interest 3–6 in the global sources and sinks for N 2 O. One possibility is that increasing use of industrially fixed N in agricultural production increases loss of N 2 O to the atmosphere. Until recently, however, field data for the evaluation of this concept were not available. Even now, only a few longer-term studies of N 2 O loss from representative agricultural land permit estimates of loss over a complete year or a cropping season. In the present study, field measurements of N 2 O exchange over 12 months between a grassland soil and the atmosphere indicated that the soil acts as both a source and a sink for atmospheric N 2 O, depending on soil conditions and the amount of nitrogenous fertilizer applied.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/292235a0