Dr. Zhongjie Yu from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently published two papers demonstrating substantial nitrous oxide emissions from an overlooked source: streams and rivers fed by agricultural systems.
In the first, a field study, Yu found water was oversaturated with N2O --- derived from fertilizer nitrification in agricultural soils --- across an entire watershed in Minnesota.
The second paper corroborated the first, but on a larger scale. The research team pulled N2O samples from a tall tower in Minnesota and fractionated them based on isotopic signatures, finding at least 35% of N2O emissions were from stream sources.
This substantial source of N2O is not accounted for in typical N2O modeling, which draws primarily from soil emission chambers.
To arrange an interview with Dr. Yu, contact [email protected].
Biography:
Dr. Zhongjie Yu's research aims to resolve the complex dynamics of nitrogen cycling in hydrologic systems. His group uses a variety of field, laboratory, and modeling techniques to understand how hydrological and biogeochemical processes interact to control the transport and transformation of reactive nitrogen and how human activities influence these interactions. In particular, they specialize in the application of stable isotope techniques to examine the impact of hydrological and biogeochemical processes on the production, retention, and reactive transport of nitrate and nitrous oxide.
Zhongjie Yu is an assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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