Insights from Atlantic basin-scale N2O isotopic and intramolecular site preference measurements
ID:455
Poster Presentation
2027-01-15 20:45 (China Standard Time)
Session:Session 69 - The nitrogen cycle in a changing ocean: from the process level to basin scale
Abstract
There are very few isotopic measurements of N2O in the Atlantic Ocean, with only a handful of studies published that have collected such data. While concentration measurements are important for characterizing the distribution of N2O and are somewhat standard on long-term research cruises, measurement of the isotopic composition of N2O offers much more information about its formation pathways. A suite of around 450 extracted gas samples taken in the 1980s [Transient Tracers in the Ocean (TTO) and South Atlantic Ventilation Experiment (SAVE) cruises] are being measured for the isotopic composition of N2O and its site preference. In addition to ‘bulk’ δ15N and δ18O measurements on N2O, measurements of the intramolecular site preference (SP) are being made (referring to the difference in δ15N between the central alpha and beta N atoms), and offer novel process-level insights into N2O production pathways. Making these measurements across large spatial and depth scales will help characterize the ways that N2O is produced and consumed in the Atlantic Ocean, which will help improve global models of marine N2O emissions. Pilot measurements of N2O using TTO tanks from a North Atlantic site showed a characteristic profile with depth, with interesting decoupling between isotopic measurements that may reflect active N2O cycling in a region where this has been suggested to occur. Measuring the isotopic composition of N2O in North Atlantic samples could help characterize the sources of N2O, with possible comparisons between these samples collected in the 1980s and current measurements in areas of deep water formation.
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Jan 30
2026
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Jan 12–15
2027
XMAS 2027
