Following Rain, Desert Microbes Exhale Potent Greenhouse Gas
Published:09 Mar.2022 Source:University of California–Riverside
New UC Riverside research shows how, after it rains, microbes in desert soil convert one form of pollution into another -- laughing gas.
No laughing matter, nitrous oxide or N2O is the third most potent greenhouse gas. Scientists conducting the research were surprised to measure N2O production in the desert heat. "It only happens in waterlogged soils. Since the desert is dry most of the year, we didn't think this process could occur in arid soils," said Alex Krichels, UCR environmental scientist and first author on the new study.