Summary
This narrative review synthesises methodological approaches for quantifying denitrification products from terrestrial soils, addressing the technical challenge of measuring dinitrogen (N2) against high atmospheric background noise alongside more readily quantifiable nitrous oxide (N2O). The authors evaluate inhibitor-based, gas exchange and isotopic methods, proposing quality standards and method combinations to improve measurement reliability. The work contributes to more robust environmental and agricultural assessment of reactive nitrogen loss pathways and greenhouse gas emissions from soils.
UK applicability
The methodological framework is directly applicable to UK agricultural soils and research programmes assessing nitrogen cycling and nitrous oxide emissions. The standardised approaches proposed could inform UK soil monitoring protocols and climate change mitigation policy on agricultural greenhouse gas reduction.
Key measures
Denitrification rates; N2O:(N2O + N2) emission ratios; comparison of inhibitor methods, gas exchange methods, and isotopic tracing approaches
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated and compared multiple methodological approaches for quantifying denitrification products (N2 and N2O) from terrestrial soils, including inhibitor-based, gas exchange and isotopic techniques. The authors assessed the reliability, strengths and limitations of each method across laboratory and field scales.
Topic tags
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