Net soil–atmosphere fluxes mask patterns in gross production and consumption  of nitrous oxide and methane in a managed ecosystem

Yang, Wendy H.; Silver, Whendee L.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1705-2016

Articles | Volume 13, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1705-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1705-2016

© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 13, issue 5

Research article

|

18 Mar 2016

Research article |

| 18 Mar 2016

Net soil–atmosphere fluxes mask patterns in gross production and consumption of nitrous oxide and methane in a managed ecosystem

Wendy H. Yang and Whendee L. Silver

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Final revised paper (published on 18 Mar 2016)
Preprint (discussion started on 04 Dec 2015)

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

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- Supplement

RC C9538: 'some comments and questions', Anonymous Referee #1, 01 Feb 2016
- AC C9671: 'Response to Anonymous Referee #1', Wendy Yang, 10 Feb 2016
RC C9568: 'Comment on "Net soil-atmosphere fluxes..." by Yang & Silver', Anonymous Referee #2, 03 Feb 2016
- AC C9676: 'Response to Anonymous Referee #2', Wendy Yang, 10 Feb 2016

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (Editor review) (24 Feb 2016) by Akihiko Ito

AR by Wendy Yang on behalf of the Authors (01 Mar 2016)

ED: Publish as is (09 Mar 2016) by Akihiko Ito

AR by Wendy Yang on behalf of the Authors (09 Mar 2016)

Short summary

Nitrous oxide and methane are potent greenhouse gases that are both produced and consumed in soil. Using stable isotope tracers, we found that 68 % of nitrous oxide produced in soil was emitted to the atmosphere throughout the growing season in a cornfield despite variable soil conditions. Gross methane production and consumption were tightly coupled, resulting in near-zero net fluxes. Our results challenge our understanding of controls on nitrous oxide and methane dynamics in upland soils.