Temporal dynamics of reactive nitrogen fluxes over different ecosystems

Within the research projects NITROSPHERE and FORESTFLUX, field campaigns in different ecosystem types were carried out to investigate biosphere-atmosphere exchange of reactive nitrogen (Nr) compounds.

The aim was to test novel measurement techniques in eddy-covariance setups and to investigate temporal flux dynamics on daily and seasonal time scales. Results show strong management-driven effects on phase and amplitude of fluxes and provide useful validation opportunities for field-scale inferential models. We recommend complementing long-term observations of greenhouse gases – as commonly conducted within research infrastructures such as ICOS – with high-frequency Nr measurements to strengthen process understanding of coupled nitrogen and carbon cycles.