Articles | Volume 23, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7661-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7661-2026
Research article
 | 
30 Oct 2026
Research article |  | 30 Oct 2026

Nitrous oxide dynamics across nitrogen and pH gradients in headwater streams

Mette V. Carstensen, Annelies J. Veraart, Ida F. Peterse, Nicole Wrage-Mönnig, and Joachim Audet

Related authors

Stratification-induced hypoxia shapes greenhouse gas dynamics in ponds
Chiara Esposito, Joachim Audet, Eti Ester Levi, and Thomas Alexander Davidson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4272,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4272, 2026
Short summary
Temporary stratification promotes large greenhouse gas emissions in a shallow eutrophic lake
Thomas A. Davidson, Martin Søndergaard, Joachim Audet, Eti Levi, Chiara Esposito, Tuba Bucak, and Anders Nielsen
Biogeosciences, 21, 93–107, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-93-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-93-2024, 2024
Short summary
Effects of water table level and nitrogen deposition on methane and nitrous oxide emissions in an alpine peatland
Wantong Zhang, Zhengyi Hu, Joachim Audet, Thomas A. Davidson, Enze Kang, Xiaoming Kang, Yong Li, Xiaodong Zhang, and Jinzhi Wang
Biogeosciences, 19, 5187–5197, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5187-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5187-2022, 2022
Short summary

Cited articles

Adhikari, K.: Soil mapping in Denmark using digital soil mapping techniques. PhD thesis. Aarhus University, Denmark, 2013. 
Aho, K. S., Fair, J. H., Hosen, J. D., Kyzivat, E. D., Logozzo, L. A., Weber, L. C., Yoon, B., Zarnetske, J. P., and Raymond, P. A.: An intense precipitation event causes a temperate forested drainage network to shift from N2O source to sink, Limnol. Oceanogr., 67, S242–S257, https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12006, 2022. 
Aho, K. S., Maavara, T., Cawley, K. M., and Raymond, P. A.: Inland Waters can Act as Nitrous Oxide Sinks: Observation and Modeling Reveal that Nitrous Oxide Undersaturation May Partially Offset Emissions, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, e2023GL104987, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL104987, 2023. 
Arango, C. P. and Tank, J. L.: Land use influences the spatiotemporal controls on nitrification and denitrification in headwater streams, J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc., 27, 90–107, https://doi.org/10.1899/07-024.1, 2008. 
Audet, J., Bastviken, D., Bundschuh, M., Buffam, I., Feckler, A., Klemedtsson, L., Laudon, H., Löfgren, S., Natchimuthu, S., Öquist, M., Peacock, M., and Wallin, M. B.: Forest streams are important sources for nitrous oxide emissions, Global Change Biol., 26, 629–641, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14812, 2020. 
Download
Short summary
We studied seventy-two small streams to understand why some release more nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas, than others. By measuring water chemistry and physical factors across seasons, we found a strong positive association between nitrate and nitrous oxide levels, especially in acidic waters. Overall, these results show that managing nitrogen in sensitive landscapes might reduce climate impacts.
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint