Abstract

The winter season has been identified as a significant contributor to N2O emissions from boreal soils, but our understanding of the processes regulating these emissions is fragmentary. We investigated potential N-sources and pathways involved in N2O formation in a frozen boreal forest soil by labeling soil samples with N-15-containing substrates, and measured rates of (N2O)-N-15/N-15(2) formation under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Our results showed that all N2O produced in the frozen samples originate from denitrification, but the rate-limiting factor is NO3- availability, which is largely governed by nitrification. This suggests that N2O formation in frozen boreal soils may be sustained for a prolonged period of time, but is governed by a delicate balance of the O-2 regime. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Published in

Soil Biology and Biochemistry
2007, Volume: 39, number: 7, pages: 1809-1811
Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Öquist, Mats

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Nilsson, Mats

  • Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.01.010

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/15405