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Updated: May 29, 2026

The Benthic Exchange of O2, N2 and Dissolved Nutrients Using Small Core Incubations
Published on: August 3, 2016
Nitrous oxide dynamics in a braided river system, New Zealand
T J Clough1, L E Buckthought, K L Casciotti
1Agricultural & Life Sciences Division, Lincoln Univ., New Zealand. clought@lincoln.ac.nz
Abstract:
Recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission factor EF5-r was revised downward to a value of 0.0025 kg N₂O-N per kg NO₃-N leached. It was not reduced further due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the dynamics of N₂O in river systems. There have been few studies where river system N₂O yields and fluxes have been measured. In this study, we examined the relationship between NO₃-N and N₂O-N fluxes at 10 sites along a braided river system (84 km) over a 397-d period. Isotopic analysis of NO₃-N river water samples and the potential agricultural nitrogen (N) sources demonstrated that the NO₃-N came from agricultural or sewage sources. Percent saturation of N₂O varied with site and date (average, 114%) and correlated with river N₂O-N concentrations. Modeled N₂O fluxes (16-30 μg m(-2) h(-1)) from five sites were strongly related to river NO₃-N concentrations ( r² = 0.86). The modeled N₂O-N fluxes ranged from 39 to 81% of the IPCC-derived emissions based on the NO₃-N load in the river over 397 d and do not support further lowering of the EF5-r. Further in situ river studies are required to verify the N₂O-N fluxes and the calculated gas transfer velocity values for these braided river systems.
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