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Do increasingly depleted δ15N values of atmospheric N2O indicate a decline in soil N2O reduction?

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Abstract

Growing concentrations of N2O within the atmosphere have been accompanied by decreasing δ15N values, provoking the hypothesis of a global decline in the rate of N2O reduction relative to its production in soil. We estimate that the ratio of N2O produced to N2O reduced within the soil profile has declined by about 10–25% relative to its pre-industrial value. To a smaller extent, a reduction in the uptake of atmospheric N2O at the soil surface relative to its emission could also have contributed to the reported isotopic signal. This calls for a greater consideration of the process of N2O reduction in soil and its role in the global turnover of N2O.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education and Research through grant Nr. C04.0254 to COST Action 856.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 30, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Franz Conen

  2. Research Station ART, Reckenholzstrasse 191, 8046, Zurich, Switzerland

    Albrecht Neftel

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  1. Franz Conen
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  2. Albrecht Neftel
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Correspondence to Franz Conen.

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Conen, F., Neftel, A. Do increasingly depleted δ15N values of atmospheric N2O indicate a decline in soil N2O reduction?. Biogeochemistry 82, 321–326 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-006-9066-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-006-9066-y

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