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Soil Air Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Concentrations in Profiles under Tallgrass Prairie and Cultivation

Agronomy and Soils Dep., Univ. of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, PR 00681;

Charles W. Rice^*

Dep. of Agronomy, Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS 66506.

^* Corresponding author (cwrice{at}ksu.edu).

ABSTRACT

Assessing the dynamics of gaseous production in soils is of interest because they are important sources and sinks of greenhouse gases. Changes in soil air carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) concentrations were studied in a Reading silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Typic Argiudolls) under prairie and cultivation. Concentrations were measured in situ over a 17-mo period to a depth of 3 m. Multilevel samplers permitted collection of gases with subsequent measurement by gas chromatography in the laboratory. Soil air N₂O concentrations were near atmospheric levels for a majority of the study period in the prairie site (0.184–2.25 µL L^–1) but were significantly higher in the cultivated site (0.257–7.56 µL L^–1). Annual mean N₂O concentrations were 0.403 and 1.09 µL L^–1 in the prairie and cultivated sites, respectively. Soil air CO₂ annual mean concentrations were 1.56 x 10⁴ and 1.10 x 10⁴ µL L^–1 and ranged from 0.096 x 10⁴ to 6.45 x 10⁴ µL L^–1 and 0.087 x 10⁴ to 3.59 x 10⁴ µL L^–1 in the prairie and cultivated sites, respectively. Concentrations generally increased with depth, with maximum soil air N₂O and CO₂ concentrations at 1.0 m in the prairie site and 0.5 m in the cultivated site. Nitrous oxide in the cultivated site and CO₂ at both sites did not change markedly over winter months, but CO₂ and N₂O concentrations reached maximums during the summer months and decreased as the year progressed. Although soil air concentrations peaked and decreased faster at shallower depths, deeper depths exhibited relative maximum concentrations for longer time periods.

Contribution no. 97-415-J from the Kansas Agric. Exp. Stn., Manhattan, KS.

Received for publication September 16, 1997.

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