Articles | Volume 16, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2233-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2233-2019
Research article
 | 
29 May 2019
Research article |  | 29 May 2019

Underestimation of denitrification rates from field application of the 15N gas flux method and its correction by gas diffusion modelling

Reinhard Well, Martin Maier, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Jan-Reent Köster, and Nicolas Ruoss

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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Cited articles

Bollmann, A. and Conrad, R.: Enhancement by acetylene of the decomposition of nitric oxide in soil, Soil Biol. Biochem., 29, 1057–1066, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0038-0717(97)00006-0, 1997a. 
Bollmann, A. and Conrad, R.: Acetylene blockage technique leads to underestimation of denitrification rates in oxic soils due to scavenging of intermediate nitric oxide, Soil Biol. Biochem., 29, 1067–1077, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0038-0717(97)00007-2, 1997b. 
Buchen, C., Lewicka-Szczebak, D., Fuss, R., Helfrich, M., Flessa, H., and Well, R.: Fluxes of N2 and N2O and contributing processes in summer after grassland renewal and grassland conversion to maize cropping on a Plaggic Anthrosol and a Histic Gleysol, Soil Biol. Biochem., 101, 6–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2016.06.028, 2016. 
Butterbach-Bahl, K., Willibald, G., and Papen, H.: Soil core method for direct simultaneous determination of N-2 and N2O emissions from forest soils, Plant Soil, 240, 105–116, https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015870518723, 2002. 
Butterbach-Bahl, K., Baggs, E. M., Dannenmann, M., Kiese, R., and Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S.: Nitrous oxide emissions from soils: how well do we understand the processes and their controls?, Philos. T. R. Soc. B, 368, 23713120, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0122, 2013. 
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Short summary
Denitrification is a key process in the soil nitrogen cycle but poorly investigated due to methodical limitations. The 15N gas flux method is currently the only approach allowing field measurement of denitrification but was subject to bias due to unaccounted fluxes of 15N-labelled gaseous denitrification products to the subsoil. We used field flux experiments and diffusion–reaction modelling to estimate this source of error and developed an approach to correct denitrification rates.
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