Soil type, bulk density and drainage effects on relative gas diffusivity and N2O emissions
Camille Rousset
A D , Tim J. Clough A , Peter R. Grace B , David W. Rowlings B and Clemens Scheer B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Soil and Physical Sciences, Lincoln University, PO Box 85084, Lincoln, 7647, New Zealand.
B Queensland University of Technology, Institute for Future Environments, 2 George Street, Brisbane, Qld, 4000, Australia.
C Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung, Department Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU), KIT-Campus Alpin, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
D Corresponding author. Email: Camille.Rousset@lincolnuni.ac.nz
Soil Research 58(8) 726-736 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR20161
Submitted: 8 June 2020 Accepted: 24 August 2020 Published: 25 September 2020
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas, contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion. Agricultural fertiliser use and animal excreta dominate anthropogenic N2O emissions. Soil relative gas diffusivity (Dp/Do) has been used to predict the likelihood of soil N2O emissions, but limited information exists about how soil N2O emissions vary with soil type in relation to Dp/Do. It was hypothesised that, regardless of soil type, the N2O emissions would peak at the previously reported Dp/Do value of 0.006. Four pasture soils, sieved and repacked to three different bulk densities, were held at nine different soil matric potentials between near saturation and field capacity. Soil nitrate and dissolved organic matter concentrations were adequate for denitrification at all soil matric potentials. Increasing soil bulk density and soil matric potential caused Dp/Do to decline. As Dp/Do declined to a value of 0.006, the N2O fluxes increased, peaking at Dp/Do ≤ 0.006. This study shows that the elevation of N2O fluxes as a Dp/Do threshold of 0.006 is approached, holds across soil types. However, the variability in the magnitude of the N2O flux as Dp/Do declines is not explained by Dp/Do and is likely to be dependent on factors affecting the N2O : (N2O + N2) ratio.
Keywords: agriculture, compaction, denitrification, gas diffusivity, greenhouse gas, matric potential, nitrous oxide, porosity.
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