Hypoxia and acidification antagonistically suppress nitrification but enhance its N₂O production in coastal waters

The concurrent intensification of hypoxia and acidification poses a growing threat to estuarine-coastal ecosystems globally, yet their interactive impacts on nitrification, a key process in the nitrogen (N) cycle and a substantial source of nitrous oxide (N₂O), remain poorly understood. This knowledge gap hinders reliable projections of future N cycling and climate feedbacks in these critical ecosystems. Here, we demonstrate that along the estuarine-coastal continuum, the co-occurrence of hypoxia and acidification suppresses nitrification rates but stimulates nitrification-derived N₂O emissions-although their combined effect is lesser than the sum of their individual effects. Metatranscriptomic analysis provided molecular evidence for these isotopically traced responses and uncovered critical microbial coping strategies through transcriptional adjustments in metabolic pathways for energy conservation and stress tolerance. This previously overlooked interaction disrupts microbial N cycling with potential impacts on N₂O emissions and climate feedbacks, highlighting the necessity to revise predictive models by incorporating such multistressor dynamics.