Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is the strongest natural greenhouse gas, and a major stratospheric ozone-depleting agent. The global ocean is considered a significant N₂O source, however, some high-latitude regions, e. g. the Arctic Ocean or the Baltic Sea, can also act as a sink. In those regions, the surface water can seasonally be undersaturated in N₂O indicating N2O consumption or removal. The pathway leading to the undersaturation of N₂O in oxygen-rich waters is not fully understood yet. To investigate this enigma, we carried out a shipboard survey to the Greenland Sea around Disko Island. We determined N₂O distribution in the water column along vertical profiles and metagenomic analyses. Here the first results are presented, shedding light on the potential sink or source of N₂O in oxic waters in high-latitude waters. These results will help to better understand the processes leading to the under- or oversaturation of N₂O. Further, it will provide invaluable data for the global budget of N₂O emissions as well as for climate change prediction models.

Primary Presenter: Annabell Moser, University of Southern Denmark (annabellm@biology.sdu.dk)

Authors:

Dr. Annabell Moser, Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.   (annabellm@biology.sdu.dk)

Dr. Elizabeth León-Palmero, Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, USA.  (el23@princeton.edu)

Isabell Schlangen, Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.  (Schlangen@biology.sdu.dk)

Assoc. Prof. Carolin Löscher, Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.  (cloescher@biology.sdu.dk)