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Title: Hydrologic Connectivity Regulates Riverine N 2 O Sources and Dynamics
Indirect nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from streams and rivers are a poorly constrained term in the global N2O budget. Current models of riverine N2O emissions place a strong focus on denitrification in groundwater and riverine environments as a dominant source of riverine N2O, but do not explicitly consider direct N2O input from terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we combine N2O isotope measurements and spatial stream network modeling to show that terrestrial-aquatic interactions, driven by changing hydrologic connectivity, control the sources and dynamics of riverine N2O in a mesoscale river network within the U.S. Corn Belt. We find that N2O produced from nitrification constituted a substantial fraction (i.e., > 30%) of riverine N2O across the entire river network. The delivery of soil-produced N2O to streams was identified as a key mechanism for the high nitrification contribution and potentially accounted for more than 40% of the total riverine emission. This revealed large terrestrial N2O input implies an important climate-N2O feedback mechanism that may enhance riverine N2O emissions under a wetter and warmer climate. Inadequate representation of hydrologic connectivity in observations and modeling of riverine N2O emissions may result in significant underestimations.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2110430
PAR ID:
10529778
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
American Chemical Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Environmental Science & Technology
Volume:
58
Issue:
22
ISSN:
0013-936X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
9701 to 9713
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
indirect N2O emission, hydrologic connectivity, river network, terrestrial-aquatic interaction, N2O isotopes, stream network modeling
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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