Separating N2O production and consumption in intact agricultural soil cores at different moisture contents and depths. (27th April 2023) - Button, Erik S.
Abstract: Agricultural soils are a major source of the potent greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance, N2 O. To implement management practices that minimize microbial N2 O production and maximize its consumption (i.e., complete denitrification), we must understand the interplay between simultaneously occurring biological and physical processes, especially how this changes with soil depth. Meaningfully disentangling of these processes is challenging and typical N2 O flux measurement techniques provide little insight into subsurface mechanisms. In addition, denitrification studies are often conducted on sieved soil in altered O2 environments which relate poorly to in situ field conditions. Here, we developed a novel incubation system with headspaces both above and below the soil cores and field‐relevant O2 concentrations to better represent in situ conditions. We incubated intact sandy clay loam textured agricultural topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (50–60 cm) cores for 3–4 days at 50% and 70% water‐filled pore space, respectively. 15 N‐N2 O pool dilution and an SF6 tracer were injected below the cores to determine the relative diffusivity and the net N2 O emission and gross N2 O emission and consumption fluxes. The relationship between calculated fluxes from the below and above soil core headspaces confirmed that the system performed well. Relative diffusivity did not vary with depth, likely due to the preservation of preferential flow pathways in the intact cores. Gross N2 O emission and uptake also did not differ with depth but were higher in the drier cores, contrary to expectation. We speculate this was due to aerobic denitrification being the primary N2 O consuming process and simultaneously occurring denitrification and nitrification both producing N2 O in the drier cores. We provide further evidence of substantial N2 O consumption in drier soil but without net negative N2 O emissions. The results from this study are important for the future application of the 15 N‐N2 O pool dilution method and N budgeting and modelling, as required for improving management to minimize N2 O losses.