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Soil nitrous oxide emissions across the northern high latitudes
  • +19
  • Naiqing Pan,
  • Hanqin Tian,
  • Hao Shi,
  • Shufen Pan,
  • Josep G. Canadell,
  • Jinfeng Chang,
  • Philippe Ciais,
  • Eric A. Davidson,
  • Gustaf Hugelius,
  • Akihiko Ito,
  • Robert B. Jackson,
  • Fortunat Joos,
  • Sebastian Lienert,
  • Dylan B. Millet,
  • Stefan Olin,
  • Prabir K. Patra,
  • Rona L. Thompson,
  • Nicolas Vuichard,
  • Kelley C. Wells,
  • Chris Wilson,
  • Yongfa You,
  • Sönke Zaehle
Naiqing Pan
Boston College
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Hanqin Tian
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Boston College

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Hao Shi
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
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Shufen Pan
Auburn University
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Josep G. Canadell
Global Carbon Project, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere
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Jinfeng Chang
Zhejiang University
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Philippe Ciais
Laboratory for Climate Sciences and the Environment (LSCE)
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Eric A. Davidson
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
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Gustaf Hugelius
Stockholm University
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Akihiko Ito
National Institute for Environmental Studies
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Robert B. Jackson
Stanford University
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Fortunat Joos
University of Bern
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Sebastian Lienert
Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern
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Dylan B. Millet
University of Minnesota
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Stefan Olin
Lund University
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Prabir K. Patra
JAMSTEC
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Rona L. Thompson
Norwegian Institute for Air Research
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Nicolas Vuichard
LSCE-IPSL
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Kelley C. Wells
University of Minnesota
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Chris Wilson
Leeds University
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Yongfa You
Unknown
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Sönke Zaehle
Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
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Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is the most important stratospheric ozone-depleting agent based on current emissions and the third largest contributor to increased net radiative forcing. Increases in atmospheric N2O have been attributed primarily to enhanced soil N2O emissions. Critically, contributions from soils in the Northern High Latitudes (NHL, >50°N) remain poorly quantified despite their vulnerability to permafrost thawing induced by climate change. An ensemble of six terrestrial biosphere models suggests NHL soil N2O emissions doubled since the preindustrial 1860s, increasing on average by 2.0±1.0 Gg N yr-1 (p<0.01). This trend reversed after the 1980s because of reduced nitrogen fertilizer application in non-permafrost regions and increased plant growth due to CO2 fertilization suppressed emissions. However, permafrost soil N2O emissions continued increasing attributable to climate warming; the interaction of climate warming and increasing CO2 concentrations on nitrogen and carbon cycling will determine future trends in NHL soil N2O emissions.