Mechanisms responsible for N₂O emissions from intertidal soils of the Yangtze Estuary

Estuarine and coastal wetland ecosystems are important sources of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N₂O). However, the underlying driver of emitted N₂O from estuarine and coastal wetlands remains poorly understood. Here, natural-abundance isotope technique was applied to characterize the processes responsible for N₂O emission from the intertidal soils of the Yangtze Estuary. Measured N₂O emission rates ranged from 0.70 to 2.15 μmol m^{− 2} h^{− 1}, with relatively high values at the upper estuarine sites. The δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O and SP (intramolecular ¹⁵N site preference) of emitted N₂O varied from −4.5 to 6.7‰, 42.4 to 53.2‰, and 6.7 to 15.4‰, respectively. Gross N₂O production and consumption rates were within the ranges of 3.16–14.34 μmol m^{− 2} h^{− 1} and 2.22–12.54 μmol m^{− 2} h^{− 1}, respectively, showing a similar spatial pattern to N₂O emission. N₂O consumption proportion varied from 69.56 to 90.31%, which was generally lower at the upper estuarine sites. The gross production rates and consumption degree of N₂O simultaneously controlled the variations in N₂O emission. Bacterial denitrification was the dominant production pathway (78.22–97.36%), while hydroxylamine (NH₂OH) oxidation contributed 2.64–21.78% to N₂O production. Soil pH, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, sulfide and substrate availability were probably the main factors governing the N₂O emission dynamics. Overall, these results highlight the substantial role of NH₂OH oxidation and N₂O consumption in N₂O release in redox-dynamic soils of estuarine intertidal wetlands.