Nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) are important atmospheric trace gases participating in the regulation of global climate and environment. Predictive models on the emissions of N2O and NO emissions from soil into the atmosphere are required. We modified the CENTURY model (Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., 51 (1987) 1173) to simulate the emissions of N2O and NO from tropical primary forests in the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica at a monthly time step. Combined fluxes of N2O and NO were simulated as a function of gross N mineralization and water-filled pore space (WFPS). The coefficients for partitioning N2O from NO were derived from field measurements (Global Biogeochem. Cycles, 8 (1994) 399). The modified CENTURY was calibrated against observations of carbon stocks in various pools of forest ecosystems of the region, and measured WFPS and emission rates of N2O and NO from soil to the atmosphere. WFPS is an important factor regulating nutrient cycling and emissions of N2O and NO from soils m...
Shuguang Liu, William A. Reiners, Michael Keller,