Millennial-Scale Changes In Terrestrial And Marine Nitrous Oxide Emissions At The Onset And Termination Of Marine Isotope Stage 4

Ice core measurements of the concentration and stable isotopic composition of atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) 74,000-59,000 years ago constrain marine and terrestrial emissions. The data include two major Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) events and the N2O decrease during global cooling at the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a-4 transition. The N2O increase associated with D-O 19 (similar to 73-71.5 ka) was driven by equal contributions from marine and terrestrial emissions. The N2O decrease during the transition into MIS 4 (similar to 71.5-67.5 ka) was caused by gradual reductions of similar magnitude in both marine and terrestrial sources. A 50 ppb increase in N2O concentration at the end of MIS 4 was caused by gradual increases in marine and terrestrial emissions between similar to 64 and 61 ka, followed by an abrupt increase in marine emissions at the onset of D-O 16/17 (59.5 ka). This suggests that the importance of marine versus terrestrial emissions in controlling millennial-scale N2O fluctuations varied in time.Plain Language Summary Nitrous oxide is a powerful greenhouse gas that is produced naturally in soils and oceans. An important unresolved question is the extent to which anthropogenic warming will stimulate additional emissions from these sources, further adding to the warming. Past variations in the abundance of nitrous oxide have been observed using ice core reconstructions, but the reasons for the variations are not well understood. Nitrous oxide produced in soils is isotopically distinct from nitrous oxide produced in oceans. New measurements of the isotopes of atmospheric nitrous oxide provide constraints on how marine and terrestrial sources must have changed, driving fluctuations in nitrous oxide concentration during two intervals of rapid warming and a prolonged period of global cooling. The reconstructed changes in nitrous oxide sources provide insights into relationships between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and climate.