Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2025, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 1-13.doi: 10.11978/2024229

• Review •     Next Articles

Distribution characteristics and microbial metabolic driving mechanisms of N2O in estuarine and coastal waters

HONG Yiguo1(), ZHANG Baoshan1(), WU Jiapeng1, LONG Aimin2,3   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510007, China
    2.   State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2024-12-07 Revised:2025-01-03 Online:2025-07-10 Published:2025-07-31
  • Contact: HONG Yiguo
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(42276130); National Natural Science Foundation of China(42476141); Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province(2023B1515120029); Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou(2025A03J3103)

Abstract:

Estuarine and coastal waters, serving as critical interfaces between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, play a pivotal role in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas with significant impacts on global climate change. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the distribution patterns of N2O in estuarine and coastal regions, the key microbial metabolic pathways driving N2O emissions—including nitrification, nitrifier denitrification, incomplete denitrification, and coupled nitrification-denitrification—as well as the methodologies for quantifying N2O production and consumption. Additionally, we examine the environmental factors influencing N2O emissions. A deeper understanding of N2O biogeochemical cycling in these waters is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate N2O emissions and their contribution to global warming.

Key words: microbial nitrogen metabolism, N2O, biogeochemical cycle, estuarine and coastal waters

CLC Number: 

  • P76