Particle-microinterface coupled nitrification-denitrification drives N2O emission pulses downstream during reservoir sediment flushing
ID:1005
Oral Presentation
2027-01-12 16:20 (China Standard Time)
Session: Session 21 - Nitrogen Cycling Across the River-Estuary-Bay Continuum
Abstract
Sediment flushing rapidly remobilizes large volumes of deposited sediments into downstream channels, triggering abrupt alterations in redox conditions and nitrogen cycling. However, its impacts on riverine nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, field observations during two flushing events of the Xiaolangdi Reservoir in the Yellow River were integrated with variation partitioning analysis, Lindeman-Merenda-Gold relative importance analysis, and partial least squares structural equation modeling to quantify emission dynamics and controls. Sediment flushing generated a pronounced asymmetric N2O emission pulse, with fluxes increasing from 0.62 mg m-2 d-1 pre-flushing to 1.64 mg m-2 d-1 during flushing (2.7-fold), followed by gradual recovery to 1.11 mg m-2 d-1 post-flushing. This response was driven by particle-microinterface coupled nitrification-denitrification, where suspended particles enhanced redox stratification, substrate availability, and microbial functional restructuring, enabling spatially coupled nitrogen transformations. Particles did not directly drive N2O emissions but acted as indirect regulators of biogeochemical conditions. Monte Carlo simulations estimated cumulative emissions of 5.1 × 103 kg N2O per sediment flushing event, revealing a substantial short-term emission hotspot. These findings identify sediment flushing as a previously underappreciated trigger of episodic riverine N2O pulses and highlight the need to incorporate such engineered disturbances into greenhouse gas inventories of regulated rivers
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