Microbial N₂O consumption in and above marine N₂O production hotspots

The ocean is a net source of N₂O, a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting agent. However, the removal of N₂O via microbial N₂O consumption is poorly constrained and rate measurements have been restricted to anoxic waters. Here we expand N₂O consumption measurements from anoxic zones to the sharp oxygen gradient above them, and experimentally determine kinetic parameters in both oxic and anoxic seawater for the first time. We find that the substrate affinity, O₂ tolerance, and community composition of N₂O-consuming microbes in oxic waters differ from those in the underlying anoxic layers. Kinetic parameters determined here are used to model in situ N₂O production and consumption rates. Estimated in situ rates differ from measured rates, confirming the necessity to consider kinetics when predicting N₂O cycling. Microbes from the oxic layer consume N₂O under anoxic conditions at a much faster rate than microbes from anoxic zones. These experimental results are in keeping with model results which indicate that N₂O consumption likely takes place above the oxygen deficient zone (ODZ). Thus, the dynamic layer with steep O₂ and N₂O gradients right above the ODZ is a previously ignored potential gatekeeper of N₂O and should be accounted for in the marine N₂O budget.