Direct measurements of dissolved N2 and N2O highlight the strong nitrogen (N) removal potential of riverine wetlands in a headwater stream

Urbanization significantly increases greenhouse gas emissions from a subtropical headwater stream in Southeast China

Streams are disproportionately significant contributors to increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) effluxes in river networks. In the context of global urbanization, a growing number of streams are affected by urbanization, which has been suggested to stimulate the water-air GHG emissions from fluvial systems. This study investigated the seasonal and longitudinal profiles of GHG (N2O, CH4, and CO2) concentrations of Jiuxianghe Stream, a headwater stream undergoing urbanization, and estimated its GHG diffusive fluxes and global warming potentials (GWPs) using the boundary layer method. The results showed that N2O, CH4, and CO2 concentrations in Jiuxianghe Stream were 0.45-7.19 μg L-1, 0.31-586.85 μg L-1, and 0.16-11.60 mg L-1, respectively. N2O, CH4, and CO2 concentrations in the stream showed 4.55-, 23.70-, and 7.68-fold increases from headwaters to downstream, respectively, corresponding to the forest-urban transition within the watershed. Multiple linear regression indicated that NO3--N, NH4+-N, and DOC:NO3--N accurately predicted N2O and CO2 concentrations, indicating that N nutrients were the driving factors. The Jiuxianghe Stream was a source of atmospheric GHGs with a daily GWP of 7.31 g CO2-eq m-2 d-1 on average and was significantly positively correlated with the ratio of construction land and forest in the sub-watershed. This study highlights the critical role of urbanization in amplifying GHG emissions from streams, thereby augmenting our understanding of GHG emissions from river networks. With global urbanization on the rise, streams experiencing urbanization are expected to make an unprecedentedly significant contribution to riverine GHG budgets in the future.

Non-negligible N2O emission hotspots: Rivers impacted by ion-adsorption rare earth mining

Rare earth mining causes severe riverine nitrogen pollution, but its effect on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and the associated nitrogen transformation processes remain unclear. Here, we characterized N2O fluxes from China's largest ion-adsorption rare earth mining watershed and elucidated the mechanisms that drove N2O production and consumption using advanced isotope mapping and molecular biology techniques. Compared to the undisturbed river, the mining-affected river exhibited higher N2O fluxes (7.96 ± 10.18 mmol m-2d-1 vs. 2.88 ± 8.27 mmol m-2d-1, P = 0.002), confirming that mining-affected rivers are N2O emission hotspots. Flux variations scaled with high nitrogen supply (resulting from mining activities), and were mainly attributed to changes in water chemistry (i.e., pH, and metal concentrations), sediment property (i.e., particle size), and hydrogeomorphic factors (e.g., river order and slope). Coupled nitrification-denitrification and N2O reduction were the dominant processes controlling the N2O dynamics. Of these, the contribution of incomplete denitrification to N2O production was greater than that of nitrification, especially in the heavily mining-affected reaches. Co-occurrence network analysis identified Thiomonas and Rhodanobacter as the key genus closely associated with N2O production, suggesting their potential roles for denitrification. This is the first study to elucidate N2O emission and influential mechanisms in mining-affected rivers using combined isotopic and molecular techniques. The discovery of this study enhances our understanding of the distinctive processes driving N2O production and consumption in highly anthropogenically disturbed aquatic systems, and also provides the foundation for accurate assessment of N2O emissions from mining-affected rivers on regional and global scales.

Strong variability in nitrogen (N) removal rates in typical agricultural pond from hilly catchment: Evidence from diel and monthly dissolved N2 measurement

Ponds, depressional submerged landscapes that can store and process nitrogen (N)-enriched runoff from surrounding uplands, are recognized as biogeochemical hotspots for N removal. Despite their strong potential for N removal, information is limited concerning the specifics of their changing nature. Here, we investigated the dynamics of N removal rate in a typical agricultural pond from a hilly catchment, by unraveling the monthly and diel patterns of N₂ concentrations and fluxes. Our observations showed that the N pollution in the pond was severe. Its averaged total N level reached 3.6 mg L^-1, of which ∼72% consisted of NO₃-N. Meanwhile, the water samples were supersaturated with N₂, demonstrating N removal occurring in the pond. Further estimates of net N₂ fluxes indicated that N removal rates exhibited obvious day-and-night and monthly differences. On the diel scale, N removal rates exhibited a distinct diurnal cycle, with nocturnal rates around 20% higher than during the day. Such a diel pattern can be mainly explained by the fluctuation in DO levels, showing that at nighttime when photosynthesis is absent, low DO environments are conducive to N removal. On a monthly scale, the monthly rates ranged from 0.02 to 0.49 mmol N₂ m^-2 h^-1 (mean: 0.23 mmol N₂ m^-2 h^-1), with generally higher removal rates in the warmer and concurrently rainy months (June-September). N levels in the pond were the corresponding primary explanatory variables. Assembled data from both monthly and hourly scales provided a more complete picture of the changing nature of N removal in ponds. Future work should carefully consider the effects of altered environmental conditions triggered by hydrological events to better reveal the control mechanisms behind the time-immediate N removal from lowland ponds.