Isotopic signals in an agricultural watershed suggest denitrification is locally intensive in riparian areas but extensive in upland soils

Nitrogen loss from cultivated soils threatens the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. Nitrate (NO3-) derived from nitrification of nitrogen fertilizer and ammonified soil organic nitrogen may be lost from soils via denitrification, producing dinitrogen gas (N-2) or the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrate that accumulates in soils is also subject to leaching loss, which can degrade water quality and make NO3- available for downstream denitrification. Here we use patterns in the isotopic composition of NO3- observed from 2012 to 2017 to characterize N loss to denitrification within soils, groundwater, and stream riparian corridors of a non-irrigated agroecosystem in the northern Great Plains (Judith River Watershed, Montana, USA). We find evidence for denitrification across these domains, expressed as a positive linear relationship between delta N-15 and delta O-18 values of NO3-, as well as increasing delta N-15 values with decreasing NO3- concentration. In soils, isotopic evidence of denitrification was present during fallow periods (no crop growing), despite net accumulation of NO3- from the nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen. We combine previous results for soil NO3- mass balance with delta N-15 mass balance to estimate denitrification rates in soil relative to groundwater and streams. Substantial denitrification from soils during fallow periods may be masked by nitrification of ammonified soil organic nitrogen, representing a hidden loss of soil organic nitrogen and an under-quantified flux of N to the atmosphere. Globally, cultivated land spends ca. 50% of time in a fallow condition; denitrification in fallow soils may be an overlooked but globally significant source of agricultural N2O emissions, which must be reduced along-side other emissions to meet Paris Agreement goals for slowing global temperature increase.

Automated summary

The loss of nitrogen from cultivated soils poses a threat to the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture. This study uses isotopic evidence to characterize the denitrification process in soils, groundwater, and stream riparian corridors in a non-irrigated agroecosystem. The findings suggest that substantial denitrification occurs during fallow periods, representing an under-quantified flux of nitrogen to the atmosphere and a significant source of agricultural N2O emissions.