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Combination Probe for Nitrogen-15 Soil Labeling and Sampling of Soil Atmosphere to Measure Subsurface Denitrification Activity

Dep. of Microbial Ecology, Inst. of Biological Sciences, Bldg. 540, Univ. of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark

Reinhard Well and David D. Myrold^*

Dep. of Crop and Soil Science, Oregon State Univ., Agric. Life Sci. Bldg. 3017, Corvallis, OR 97331-7306

*Corresponding author (myroldd{at}css.orst.edu).

ABSTRACT

Investigations of subsoil denitrification have been hampered by the difficulty in adapting traditional methods for measuring denitrification in surface soils to subsoils. In this study, we present, and test, a combination probe constructed to detect denitrification in the vadose zone. The probe was designed to label a volume of the subsoil with ¹⁵NO^-₃ and subsequently to collect gas samples from which the denitrifying activity in the surrounding soil can be estimated by isotopic analysis of N₂. Gas samples were collected from the labeled soil volume by use of He-flushed silicone tubing having high permeability for gases. No mass flow of gases through the soil was caused by the procedure. Nitrogen gas diffusing into the tubing can be collected after equilibration periods of 15 to 20 min. A combined tensiometer and sampler for dissolved ions was built into the probe to have direct estimates of soil water potential together with information about the ¹⁵N atom fraction of the dissolved NO^-₃ in the surrounding soil. The probe was tested under laboratory conditions. The probe introduced ¹⁵NO^-₃ into a roughly spherical volume of soil with a symmetric distribution of ¹⁵NO^-₃. Estimates of the ¹⁵N atom fraction of the NO^-₃ undergoing denitrification based on gas samples agreed favorably with destructive sampling of NO^-₃. The accumulation of N₂ derived from denitrification was consistent with expected trends and, along with computer simulations and ¹⁵N mass balance methods, was used to calculate denitrification rates. These different estimates of denitrification agreed well. This combination probe shows promise for measuring denitrification in subsoil.

Contribution from the Oregon Agric. Exp. Stn., Technical paper no. 11021.

Received for publication February 7, 1996.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Well and D. D. Myrold A Proposed Method for Measuring Subsoil Denitrification In Situ Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2002; 66(2): 507 - 518. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]