Composition and Chemistry

Regional sources of nitrous oxide over the United States: Seasonal variation and spatial distribution

  1. S. M. Miller1,
  2. E. A. Kort2,
  3. A. I. Hirsch3,
  4. E. J. Dlugokencky4,
  5. A. E. Andrews4,
  6. X. Xu5,
  7. H. Tian5,
  8. T. Nehrkorn6,
  9. J. Eluszkiewicz6,
  10. A. M. Michalak7,
  11. S. C. Wofsy1

Article first published online: 30 MAR 2012

DOI: 10.1029/2011JD016951

Issue

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (1984–2012)

Additional Information

How to Cite

Miller, S. M., et al. (2012), Regional sources of nitrous oxide over the United States: Seasonal variation and spatial distribution, J. Geophys. Res., 117, D06310, doi:10.1029/2011JD016951.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

  2. 2

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

  3. 3

    National Renewable Energy Laboratory, DOE, Golden, Colorado, USA

  4. 4

    Global Monitoring Division, NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  5. 5

    School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA

  6. 6

    Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Lexington, Massachusetts, USA

  7. 7

    Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 30 MAR 2012
  2. Article first published online: 30 MAR 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 12 FEB 2012
  4. Manuscript Revised: 20 JAN 2012
  5. Manuscript Received: 1 OCT 2011

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Keywords:

  • STILT;
  • agriculture;
  • emissions;
  • inverse modeling;
  • nitrous oxide

[1] This paper presents top-down constraints on the magnitude, spatial distribution, and seasonality of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions over the central United States. We analyze data from tall towers in 2004 and 2008 using a high resolution Lagrangian particle dispersion model paired with both geostatistical and Bayesian inversions. Our results indicate peak N2O emissions in June with a strong seasonal cycle. The spatial distribution of sources closely mirrors data on fertilizer application with particularly large N2O sources over the US Cornbelt. Existing inventories for N2O predict emissions that differ substantially from the inverse model results in both seasonal cycle and magnitude. We estimate a total annual N2O budget over the central US of 0.9–1.2 TgN/yr and an extrapolated budget for the entire US and Canada of 2.1–2.6 TgN/yr. By this estimate, the US and Canada account for 12–15% of the total global N2O source or 32–39% of the global anthropogenic source as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.

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