Abstract
The composition of the atmosphere is influenced both directly and indirectly by biological activity. Evidence is presented here to suggest that nitrification in soil is a potentially significant source of both NO and N2O. Between 0.3 and 10% of the ammonium oxidized by cultures of the soil bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea is converted to these gases. The global source for NO associated with nitrification could be as large as 15×106 tonnes N yr−1, with a source for N2O of 5−10×106 tonnes N yr−1. Nitric oxide has a key role in tropospheric chemistry, participating in a complex set of reactions regulating OH and O3 (refs 1,2). Nitrous oxide is a dominant source of stratospheric NO (refs 3–5) and has a significant influence on climate6.
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Lipschultz, F., Zafiriou, O., Wofsy, S. et al. Production of NO and N2O by soil nitrifying bacteria. Nature 294, 641–643 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/294641a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/294641a0
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