Greenhouse gas emissions and soil N dynamic in forests

The project deals with emissions of nitrogen oxides from forest ecosystems, i.e. with compounds which affect air quality and global climate and, therefore, can have a significant impact on the quality of life and health of the European citizens.

Using chamber techniques long-term continuous measurements of soil N2O and NO emissions is be made in a 80+ year old Beech forest near Sorø of central Zealand. Since deposition and photo-chemical reactions within the canopy can alter the exchange of reactive N-oxides between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere, experiments is also carried out to quantify and characterise the canopy exchange of N-oxides by micrometeorological methods.

Small manual chamber for measuring soil fluxes of N2O.

In addition, microbial and physico-chemical processes involved in N-trace gas emissions is quantified and characterised by application of 15N-techniques in laboratory based experiments. Soil samples are collected at eigth different European forest sites in order to examine impacts of climate and N-depositions on fundamental processes driving the N2O evolution from soils.

Incubation of small intact soil cores with 15N label to study soil N dynamic and evolution of 15N-labelled N2O

The project recieves funding form the EU and is part of the transeuropean project "Nofretete".