Summary
This meta-analysis synthesised 14 controlled experiments to examine how prior soil moisture history influences N₂O emissions during rewetting cycles in temperate and Mediterranean climates. The authors identified both rewetting intensity and final water-filled pore space as significant predictors of N₂O flux, indicating that the trajectory of soil moisture change—rather than instantaneous conditions alone—is a critical driver of greenhouse gas emissions. These findings help explain gaseous nitrogen losses under climate scenarios characterised by increased drought-rewetting cycles.
UK applicability
The temperate climate findings are directly applicable to UK soils and agricultural systems, where rainfall variability and summer drought followed by autumn rewetting are increasingly common. Understanding these emission dynamics is relevant to UK greenhouse gas inventory protocols and soil management guidance under projected climate change scenarios.
Key measures
N₂O flux (likely in ng N₂O-N g⁻¹ soil or similar units); water-filled pore space (WFPS); soil moisture history; degree of rewetting
Outcomes reported
The study measured N₂O gas flux emissions from soil samples subjected to drought and rewetting cycles under controlled laboratory and field conditions. Emissions were quantified across temperate and Mediterranean climate scenarios to assess the influence of soil moisture trajectory on gaseous nitrogen losses.
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