W. J. Parton

Generalized model for NO x and N2O emissions from soils

We describe a submodel to simulate NOx and N2O emissions from soils and present comparisons of simulated NOx and N2O fluxes from the DAYCENT ecosystem model with observations from different soils. The N gas flux submodel assumes that nitrification and denitrification both contribute to N2O and NOx emissions but that NOx emissions are due mainly to nitrification. N2O emissions from nitrification are calculated as a function of modeled soil NH4+ concentration, water-filled pore space (WFPS), temperature, pH, and texture. N2O emissions from denitrification are a function of soil NO3− concentration, WFPS, heterotrophic respiration, and texture. NOx emissions are calculated by multiplying total N2O emissions by a NOx:N2O equation which is calculated as a function of soil parameters (bulk density, field capacity, and WFPS) that influence gas diffusivity. The NOx submodel also simulates NOx emission pulses initiated by rain events onto dry soils. The DAYCENT model was tested by comparing observed and simulated parameters in grassland soils across a range of soil textures and fertility levels. Simulated values of soil temperature, WFPS (during the non-winter months), and NOx gas flux agreed reasonably well with measured values (r2 = 0.79, 0.64, and 0.43, respectively). Winter season WFPS was poorly simulated (r2 = 0.27). Although the correlation between simulated and observed N2O flux was poor on a daily basis (r2 = 0.02), DAYCENT was able to reproduce soil textural and treatment differences and the observed seasonal patterns of gas flux emissions with r2 values of 0.26 and 0.27, for monthly and NOr flux rates, respectively.

General model for N2O and N2 gas emissions from soils due to dentrification

Observations of N gas loss from incubations of intact and disturbed soil cores were used to model N2O and N2 emissions from soil as a result of denitrification. The model assumes that denitrification rates are controlled by the availability in soil of NO3 (e− acceptor), labile C compounds (e− donor), and O2 (competing e− acceptor). Heterotrophic soil respiration is used as a proxy for labile C availability while O2 availability is a function of soil physical properties that influence gas diffusivity, soil WFPS, and O2 demand. The potential for O2 demand, as indicated by respiration rates, to contribute to soil anoxia varies inversely with a soil gas diffusivity coefficient which is regulated by soil porosity and pore size distribution. Model inputs include soil heterotrophic respiration rate, texture, NO3 concentration, and WFPS. The model selects the minimum of the NO3 and CO2 functions to establish a maximum potential denitrification rate for particular levels of e− acceptor and C substrate and accounts for limitation of O2 availability to estimate daily N2+N2O flux rates. The ratio of soil NO3 concentration to CO2 emission was found to reliably (r2=0.5) model the ratio of N2 to N2O gases emitted from the intact cores after accounting for differences in gas diffusivity among the soils. The output of the ratio function is combined with the estimate of total N gas flux rate to infer N2O emission. The model performed well when comparing observed and simulated values of N2O flux rates with the data used for model building (r2=0.50) and when comparing observed and simulated N2O+N2 gas emission rates from irrigated field soils used for model testing (r2=0.47).

TRAGNET analysis and synthesis of trace gas fluxes

A critical synthesis of information on the biotic and abiotic controls of trace gas fluxes was needed in order to advance our ability to determine regional estimates of various trace gas compounds. In response to this need, the U.S. Trace Gas Network (TRAGNET), as part of an International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) activity, developed an accessible database of multiyear trace gas flux (CH4, NOx, and N2O) and ancillary data from a range of ecosystems (tropical to arctic) across North America, Europe, and Central America. These data have been collected by a number of independent research programs. Through the support of National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research Service (USDA/ARS), Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, and National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), TRAGNET has assembled the data sets and has begun to analyze and synthesize these trace gas data on regional to global scales to (1) determine a generalized understanding of environmental factors controlling trace gas fluxes in order to develop methods for spatial and temporal interpolation and regional extrapolation, (2) test and validate trace gas models across different spatial, temporal, and process scales, and (3) determine regional trace gas fluxes from the measured set of fluxes in the database.