Table 1 Changing characteristics of the total and anthropogenic terrestrial N2O flux at the beginning of the anthropocene (1850) and through the past century

From: Warming and redistribution of nitrogen inputs drive an increase in terrestrial nitrous oxide emission factor

  

1850

1940

1980

2020

Total soil flux

Tg N2O-N a−1

5.3 ± 0.4

6.3 ± 0.5

8.7 ± 0.6

12.4 ± 0.8

Natural soil flux

Tg N2O-N a−1

5.3 ± 0.4

Anthropogenic soil emissions

Tg N2O-N a−1

0

1.0 ± 0.7

3.4 ± 0.7

7.1 ± 0.9

Growth rate of emissions

Gg N2O-N a−1 a−1

19 ± 10

23 ± 0.1

60 ± 5

134 ± 6

Nat. soil emissions—deposition N

Tg N2O-N a−1

0.5 ± 0.1

Nat. soil emissions—fixation N

Tg N2O-N a−1

4.7 ± 0.5

Anth. soil emissions—fertilisation N

Tg N2O-N a−1

0

0.1 ± 0.1

0.9 ± 0.2

1.7 ± 0.4

Anth. soil emissions—deposition N

Tg N2O-N a−1

0

0.7 ± 0.1

1.8 ± 0.2

3.6 ± 0.3

Anth. soil emissions—fixation N

Tg N2O-N a−1

0

0.2 ± 0.6

0.7 ± 0.7

1.8 ± 0.6

Anth. emissions not from soils

Tg N2O-N a−1

0

1.0 ± 0.7

1.4 ± 0.7

1.7 ± 0.9

δ15N, natural soil emissions

−22.4 ± 2.7

δ15N, anthrop. soil emissions

NA

−15.3 ± 1.1

−17.0 ± 1.1

−18.7 ± 1.1

δ15NSP, natural soil emissions

6.7 ± 0.6

δ15NSP, anthrop. soil emissions

NA

5.9 ± 0.2

6.0 ± 0.2

6.8 ± 0.2

EF, area-weighted

%

1.1 ± 0.1

EF, N input-weighted

%

3.6 ± 0.7

3.8 ± 0.7

4.0 ± 0.8

4.3 ± 0.3

  1. The natural flux and the area-weighted emission factors (EFs) do not vary temporally. Growth rate is the 10-year mean growth rate centred on the year of interest, ie. the 10-year average for 2000 is the average from 1995-2005. The area-weighted EF is the mean global EF calculated using the areas of grid cells as weights; the N-input weighted EF is calculated using the total N inputs of grid cells as weights.