Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2018, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (1): 69-79.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2018.00069

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Effects of freeze-thaw cycles on soil N2O concentration and flux in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

ShengYun Chen1, Qian Zhao1,6, WenJie Liu1,2, Zhao Zhang1, Shuo Li1, HongLin Li3, ZhongNan Nie4, LingXi Zhou5, ShiChang Kang1   

  1. 1. Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China;
    2. Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China;
    3. State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai 810016, China;
    4. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Private Bag 105, Hamilton VIC 3300, Australia;
    5. Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;
    6. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2017-10-30 Online:2018-02-01 Published:2018-11-23
  • Contact: ShengYun Chen, Sychen@lzb.ac.cn E-mail:Sychen@lzb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (41690142), the Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-04), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171054); and the National Science & Technology Pillar Program (2014BAC05B02).

Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) might strongly influence the emission of soil N2O on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). However, there is a lack of in situ research on the characteristics of soil N2O concentration and flux in response to variations in soil properties caused by FTCs. Here, we report the effect of FTC-induced changes in soil properties on the soil N2O concentration and flux in the permafrost region of the higher reaches of the Shule River Basin on the northeastern margin of the QTP. We measured chemical properties of the topsoil, activities of soil microorganisms, and air temperature (AT), as well as soil N2O concentration and flux, over an annual cycle from July 31, 2011, to July 30, 2012. The results showed that soil N2O concentration was significantly affected by soil temperature (ST), soil moisture (SM), soil salinity (SS), soil polyphenol oxidase (SPO), soil alkaline phosphatase (SAP), and soil culturable actinomycetes (SCA), ranked as SM> SS> ST> SPO> SAP> SCA, whereas ST significantly increased soil N2O flux, compared with SS. Overall, our study indicated that the soil N2O concentration and flux in permafrost zone FTCs were strongly affected by soil properties, especially soil moisture, soil salinity, and soil temperature.

Key words: freeze-thaw cycles, soil environment, N2O

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