Unexpectedly minor nitrous oxide emissions from fluvial networks draining permafrost catchments of the East Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Streams and rivers emit substantial amounts of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and are therefore an essential component of global nitrogen (N) cycle. Permafrost soils store a large reservoir of dormant N that, upon thawing, can enter fluvial networks and partly degrade to N₂O, yet the role of waterborne release of N₂O in permafrost regions is unclear. Here we report N₂O concentrations and fluxes during different seasons between 2016 and 2018 in four watersheds on the East Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Thawing permafrost soils are known to emit N₂O at a high rate, but permafrost rivers draining the East Qinghai-Tibet Plateau behave as unexpectedly minor sources of atmospheric N₂O. Such low N₂O fluxes are associated with low riverine

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8854393 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature