In:
Limnology and Oceanography Letters, Wiley, Vol. 6, No. 2 ( 2021-04), p. 68-76
Abstract:
Continental margin sediments are important sites of marine nitrogen cycling and potential contributors to atmospheric N 2 O emissions. We employed trace‐level N 2 O microsensors to measure vertical N 2 O profiles at submillimeter resolutions in intact cores from outer continental margin sediments underlying the NE Pacific oxygen minimum zone. We used mathematical modeling to estimate depth‐dependent rates of N 2 O production and fluxes to the overlying water along a transect of diminishing bottom water oxygen concentrations. Net sediment efflux was observed at all sites on the outer continental margin, with a mean value of 524 nmol m −2 d −1 . N 2 O efflux increased with decreased oxygen penetration depth in sediments. Enhanced N 2 O production and efflux were obtained when outer continental shelf sediments were experimentally exposed to lower bottom‐water O 2 concentrations, to simulate upwelling conditions. Our results underline the need for further investigation of the drivers of N 2 O production in continental margin sediments, and the relative importance of these environments to the global N 2 O budget.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2378-2242
,
2378-2242
Language:
English
Publisher:
Wiley
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2876718-4
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