Drivers of the spatiotemporal distribution of dissolved nitrous oxide and air–sea exchange in a coastal Mediterranean area
<p>Among the well-known greenhouse gases (GHGs), nitrous oxide (<span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span>) is the third most impactful, possessing a global warming potential approximately 300 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (<span class=&...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Ocean Science |
| Online Access: | https://os.copernicus.org/articles/21/1515/2025/os-21-1515-2025.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | <p>Among the well-known greenhouse gases (GHGs), nitrous oxide (<span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span>) is the third most impactful, possessing a global warming potential approximately 300 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (<span class="inline-formula">CO<sub>2</sub></span>) over a century. The distribution of <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span> in aquatic environments exhibits notable spatial and temporal variations, and emissions remain inadequately constrained and underrepresented in global <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span> emission inventories, particularly for coastal zones. This study focuses on <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span> levels and air–sea fluxes in the coastal waters of the Balearic Islands Archipelago in the Western Mediterranean basin. Data were gathered between 2018 and 2023 at three coastal monitoring stations: two on the densely populated island of Mallorca and the third in the well-preserved National Park of the Cabrera Archipelago. Seawater <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span> concentrations varied from 6.5 to 9.9 <span class="inline-formula">nmol L<sup>−1</sup></span>, with no significant differences being detected across the sites. When these sink–source strengths are integrated on an annual basis, the Balearic Sea is close to equilibrium with atmospheric <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span>, resulting in a neutral atmosphere–ocean exchange (0.1 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 0.2 <span class="inline-formula"><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M10" display="inline" overflow="scroll" dspmath="mathml"><mrow class="unit"><mi mathvariant="normal">µ</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">mol</mi><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">2</mn></mrow></msup><mspace width="0.125em" linebreak="nobreak"/><msup><mi mathvariant="normal">d</mi><mrow><mo>-</mo><mn mathvariant="normal">1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></math><span><svg:svg xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="64pt" height="15pt" class="svg-formula" dspmath="mathimg" md5hash="3595e87aa3fe9323d32ed7c5bcb70f2d"><svg:image xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="os-21-1515-2025-ie00001.svg" width="64pt" height="15pt" src="os-21-1515-2025-ie00001.png"/></svg:svg></span></span>). A consistent seasonal pattern was noted during the study period. Machine learning analysis indicated that seawater temperature was the primary factor influencing <span class="inline-formula">N<sub>2</sub>O</span> concentrations, with lesser contributions from chlorophyll levels and salinity.</p> |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1812-0784 1812-0792 |