Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3108
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3108
10 Jul 2025
 | 10 Jul 2025
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).

In situ production of hybrid N2O in dust-rich Antarctic ice

Lison Soussaintjean, Jochen Schmitt, Joël Savarino, J. Andy Menking, Edward J. Brook, Barbara Seth, Vladimir Lipenkov, Thomas Röckmann, and Hubertus Fischer

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas involved in the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Past atmospheric mixing ratios of N2O are archived in ice cores; however, the presence of in situ N2O production in dust-rich Antarctic ice complicates their accurate reconstruction, especially during glacial periods. This production occurs in extremely cold ice and without sunlight. This study aims to understand the reaction producing N2O in Antarctic ice by identifying the precursors and the reaction pathway. We compared the oxygen and nitrogen bulk and position-specific isotope composition of in situ N2O in ice cores to the isotopic composition of nitrate (NO3-), a possible precursor of N2O. The 15N signature of NO3- is fully transferred into the central N atom (Nα) of in situ N2O, but it is not transferred into the terminal N atom (Nβ), resulting in a 50 % transfer of the 15N signature of NO3- into the bulk 15N isotopic composition. These findings suggest that the in situ N2O production involves two different nitrogen precursors present in ice: the central N atom (Nα) originates from NO3- and the terminal N atom (Nβ) from a different precursor not yet identified. Oxygen isotope analysis shows that NO3- cannot be the only reservoir for the O atom of in situ N2O. Temperature, pH, and absence of sunlight in Antarctic ice point to an abiotic N-nitrosation reaction. The limiting factor of the reaction is probably associated with mineral dust and might be Fe2+, reducing NO3- to NO2- or the precursor of the Nβ atom. The site preference (SP) values of in situ N2O are highly variable between different ice cores and depend on the bulk 15N isotopic composition of N2O, itself depending on the 15N isotopic composition of the NO3- precursor. This finding is unexpected because SP is usually determined by the production pathway through symmetric reaction intermediates that mix the N atoms in α and β positions and average out their isotopic difference. In contrast, our results provide the first evidence of a hybrid N2O production pathway involving an asymmetric intermediate that preserves the distinct 15N signatures of two different precursors – one contributing to the Nα atom and the other to the Nβ atom. This finding has important implications: in this pathway, SP reflects the isotopic difference between the two precursors rather than the pathway itself, challenging how SP is commonly interpreted in environmental studies.

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Lison Soussaintjean, Jochen Schmitt, Joël Savarino, J. Andy Menking, Edward J. Brook, Barbara Seth, Vladimir Lipenkov, Thomas Röckmann, and Hubertus Fischer

Status: open (until 04 Oct 2025)

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  • CC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-3108', Reinhard Well, 16 Jul 2025 reply
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-3108', Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, 05 Sep 2025 reply
Lison Soussaintjean, Jochen Schmitt, Joël Savarino, J. Andy Menking, Edward J. Brook, Barbara Seth, Vladimir Lipenkov, Thomas Röckmann, and Hubertus Fischer
Lison Soussaintjean, Jochen Schmitt, Joël Savarino, J. Andy Menking, Edward J. Brook, Barbara Seth, Vladimir Lipenkov, Thomas Röckmann, and Hubertus Fischer

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Short summary
Nitrous oxide (N2O) produced in dust-rich Antarctic ice complicates the reconstruction of past atmospheric levels from ice core records. Using isotope analysis, we show that N2O forms from two nitrogen precursors, one being nitrate. For the first time, we demonstrate that the site preference (SP) of N2O reflects the isotopic difference between these precursors, not the production pathway, which challenges the common interpretation of SP.
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