Abstract
The recognition that NO, derived from atmospheric N2O, is an important factor in the destruction of stratospheric ozone1, and that atmospheric N2O may reduce radiative heat loss from the Earth's surface2, has stimulated interest3–6 in the global sources and sinks for N2O. One possibility is that increasing use of industrially fixed N in agricultural production increases loss of N2O 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 N2O loss from representative agricultural land permit estimates of loss over a complete year or a cropping season. In the present study, field measurements of N2O 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 N2O, depending on soil conditions and the amount of nitrogenous fertilizer applied.
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Ryden, J. N2O exchange between a grassland soil and the atmosphere. Nature 292, 235–237 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/292235a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/292235a0
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