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A global model of changing N2O emissions from natural and perturbed soils

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Abstract

A high resolution global model of the terrestrial biosphere is developed to estimate changes in nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from 1860–1990. The model is driven by four anthropogenic perturbations, including land use change and nitrogen inputs from fertilizer, livestock manure, and atmospheric deposition of fossil fuel NO x . Global soil nitrogen mineralization, volatilization, and leaching fluxes are estimated by the model and converted to N2O emissions based on broad assumptions about their associated N2O yields. From 1860–1990, global N2O emissions associated with soil nitrogen mineralization are estimated to have decreased slightly from 5.9 to 5.7 Tg N/yr, due mainly to land clearing, while N2O emissions associated with volatilization and leaching of excess mineral nitrogen are estimated to have increased sharply from 0.45 to 3.3 Tg N/yr, due to all four anthropogenic perturbations. Taking into account the impact of each perturbation on soil nitrogen mineralization and on volatilization and leaching of excess mineral nitrogen, global 1990 N2O emissions of 1.4, 0.7, 0.4 and 0.08 Tg N/yr are attributed to fertilizer, livestock manure, land clearing and atmospheric deposition of fossil fuel NO x , respectively. Consideration of both the short and long-term fates of fertilizer nitrogen indicates that the N2O/fertilizer-N yield may be 2% or more.

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Abbreviations

AET mon :

(cm H2O) = monthly actual evapotranspiration

AET ann :

(cm H2O) = annual actual evapotranspiration

age h :

(years) = stand age of herbaceous biomass

age w :

(years) = stand age of woody biomass

atmblc :

(gC/m2/month) = net flux of CO2 from grid

biotoc :

(gC/g biomass) = 0.50 = convert g biomass to g C

beff h :

= 0.8 = fraction of cleared herbaceous litter that is burned

beff w :

= 0.4 = fraction of cleared woody litter that is burned

bfmin :

= 0.5 = fraction of burned N litter that is mineralized or converted to reactive gases which rapidly redeposit. Remainder assumed pyrodenitrified to N2. + N2O

bprob :

= probability that burned litter will be burned

burn h :

(gC/m2/month) = herbaceous litter burned after land clearing

burn w :

(gC/m2/month) = woody litter burned after land clearing

cbiomsh :

(gC/m2) = C herbaceous biomass pool

cbiomsw :

(gC/m2) = C woody biomass pool

clear :

(gC/m2/month) = woody litter C removed by land clearing

clearn :

(gN/m2/month) = woody litter N removed by land clearing

cldh :

(month−1) = herbaceous litter decomposition coefficient

cldw :

(month−1) = woody litter decomposition coefficient

clittrh :

(gC/m2) = C herbaceous litter pool

clittrw :

(gC/m2) = C woody litter pool

clph :

(month−1) = herbaceous litter production coefficient

clpw :

(month−1) = woody litter production coefficient

cnrath :

(gC/gN) = C/N ratio in herbaceous phytomass

cnrats :

(gC/gN) = C/N ratio in soil organic matter

cnratt :

(gC/gN) = average C/N ratio in total phytomass

cnratw :

(gC/gN) = C/N ratio in woody phytomass

crod :

(month−1) = forest clearing coefficient

csocd :

(month−1) = actual soil organic matter decompostion coefficient

decmult :

decomposition coefficient multiplier; natural =1.0; agricultural =1.0 (1.2 in sensitivity test)

fertmin :

(gN/m2/month) = inorganic fertilizer input

fleach :

fraction of excess inorganic N that is leached

fligh :

(g Lignin/ g C) = lignin fraction of herbaceous litter C

fligw :

(g Lignin/ g C) = 0.3 = lignin fraction of woody litter C

fln2o :

= .01–.02 = fraction of leached N emitted as N2O

fnav :

= 0.95 = fraction of mineral N available to plants

fosdep :

(gN/m2/month) = wet and dry atmospheric deposition of fossil fuel NO x

fresph :

= 0.5 = fraction of herbaceous litter decomposition that goes to CO2 respiration

fresps :

= 0.51 + .068 * sand = fraction of soil organic matter decomposition that goes to CO2 respiration

frespw :

= 0.3 * (* see comments in Section 2.3 under decomposition) = fraction of woody litter decomposition that goes to CO2 respiration

fsoil :

= ratio of NPP measured on given FAO soil type to NPFmiami

fstruct :

= 0.15 + 0.018 * ligton = fraction of herbaceous litter going to structural/woody pool

fvn2o :

= .05–.10 = fraction of excess volatilized mineral N emitted as N2O

fvol :

= .02 = fraction of gross mineralization flux and excess mineral N volatilized

fyield :

ratio of total agricultural NPP in a given country in 1980 to total NPPmiami of all displaced natural grids in that country

gimmob h :

(gN/m2/month) = gross immobilization of inorganic N into microbial biomass due to decomposition of herbaceous litter

gimmob s :

(gN/m2/month) = gross immobilization of inorganic N into microbial biomass due to decomposition of soil organic matter

gimmob w :

(gN/m2/month) = gross immobilization of inorganic N into microbial biomass due to decomposition of woody litter

graze :

(gC/m2/month) = C herbaceous biomass grazed by livestock

grazen :

(gN/m2/month) = N herbaceous biomass grazed by livestock

growth h :

(gC/m2/month) = herbaceous litter incorporated into microbial biomass

growth w :

(gC/m2/month) = woody litter incorporated into microbial biomass

gromin h :

(gN/m2/month) = gross N mineralization due to decomposition and burning of herbaceous litter

gromin s :

(gN/m2/month) = gross N mineralization due to decomposition of soil organic matter

gromin w :

(gN/m2/month) = gross N mineralization due to decomposition and burning of woody litter

herb :

herbaceous fraction by weight of total biomass

leach :

(gN/m2/month) = leaching (& volatilization) losses of excess inorganic N

ligton :

(g lignin-C/gN) = lignin/N ratio in fresh herbaceous litter

LP h :

(gC/m2/month)= C herbaceous litter production

LP :

(gC/m2/month) = C woody litter production

LPN h :

(gN/m2/month) = N herbaceous litter production

LPN W :

(gN/m2/month) = N woody litter production

manco2 :

(gC/m2/month) = grazed C respired by livestock

manlit :

(gC/m2/month) = C manure input (feces + urine)

n2oint :

(gN/m2/month) = intercept of N2O flux vs gromin regression

n2oleach :

(gN/m2/month) = N2O flux associated with leaching and volatilization of excess inorganic N

n2onat :

(gN/m2/month) = ‘natural’ N2O flux from soils

n2oslope :

slope of N2O flux vs gromin regression

nbiomsh :

(gN/m2) = N herbaceous biomass pool

nbiomsw :

(gN/m2) = N woody biomass pool

nfix :

(gN/m2/month) = N2 fixation + natural atmospheric deposition

nlittrh :

(gN/m2) = N herbaceous litter pool

nlittrw :

(gN/m2) = N woody litter pool

nmanlit :

(gN/m2/month) = organic N manure input (feces)

nmanmin :

(gN/m2/month) = inorganic N manure input (urine)

nmin :

(gN/m2) = inorganic N pool

NPP acth :

(gC/m2/month)= actual herbaceous net primary productivity

NPP actw :

(gC/m2/month) = actual woody net primary productivity

nvol :

(gN/m2/month) = volatilization losses from inorganic N pool

plntnav :

(gN/m2/month)= mineral N available to plants

plntup h :

(gN/m2/month) = inorganic N incorporated into herbaceous biomass

plntup w :

(gN/m2/month) = inorganic N incorporated into woody biomass

precip ann :

(mm) = mean annual precipitation

precip mon :

(mm) = mean monthly precipitation

pyroden h :

(gN/m2/month) = burned herbaceous litter N that is pyrodenitrified to N2

pyroden w :

(gN/m2/month) = burned woody litter N that is pyrodenitrified to N2

recyc :

fraction of N that is retranslocated before senescence

resp h :

(gC/m2/month) = herbaceous litter CO2 respiration

resp s :

(gC/m2/month) = soil organic carbon CO2 respiration

resp w :

(gC/m2/month) = woody litter CO2 respiration

sand :

sand fraction of soil

satrat :

ratio of maximum NPP to N-limited NPP

soiloc :

(gC/m2) = soil organic C pool

soilon :

(gN/m2) = soil organic N pool

temp ann :

(°C) = mean annual temperature

temp mon :

(°C) = mean monthly temperature

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA

    C. D. Nevison & E. A. Holland

  2. Institute for Plant Ecology, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany

    G. Esser

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  1. C. D. Nevison
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  2. G. Esser
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  3. E. A. Holland
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Now at the NOAA Aeronomy Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado.

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Nevison, C.D., Esser, G. & Holland, E.A. A global model of changing N2O emissions from natural and perturbed soils. Climatic Change 32, 327–378 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00142468

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