The potential importance of surface diurnal temperature fluctuation in controlling nitrous oxide emissions from soil

In temperate zones on earth, surface soil temperatures vary by greater than 30° C diurnally due to solar radiation from Spring to Autumn. Surface temperatures even exceed 50° C during the summer in agricultural sites, when air temperatures are significantly lower. The biological response to these large diurnal temperature changes has not been evaluated, so a logical question is: Have resident microorganisms adapted to a diurnal temperature cycle? In an experiment we demonstrate that nitrous oxide fluxes from surface soil are greater when incubated under diurnal temperature conditions (19° C – 37°C) compared to average temperature incubations (~25° C).