2026-10-11T22:08:36Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33995656 2026-09-25T14:20:40Z category_1 category_272 category_873 category_39 category_734 category_62 category_69 portal_63 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Urban Green Spaces Substantially Offset Their Carbon Sequestration Benefits Siqing Ye (21438971) Zimeng Zhang (5635424) Jinya Yang (25110505) Loreena Avery (25110508) Jiahao Liu (2398594) Linlin Wang (289071) Xiaoyan Wu (235931) Chengxin Zhang (685159) Xuguang Chi (8355588) Tengyu Liu (4685677) Yongmei Huang (782660) Lei Zhang (38117) Qian Yu (127062) Jan Mulder (535807) Lei Duan (421386) Yu Zhao (104852) Biophysics Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Marine Biology Inorganic Chemistry potent greenhouse gas poorly quantified release monitored plots received mitigate heat islands mean emission intensity implementing precision nitrogen frequency continuous monitoring direct fertilizer application unique urban synergy net climate benefit emissions offset 68 rapidly expanding ugs 2 </ sub nitrous oxide emissions nitrous oxide urban greening climate neutrality emissions leads widely regarded water management ugs vegetation ugs function significant overestimation sequester carbon scale assessment learning extrapolation irrigation pulses findings demonstrate depleting substance china ’ Urban green spaces (UGS) are a cornerstone of global climate adaptation strategies, widely regarded as Nature-based solutions (NbS) for their ability to sequester carbon and mitigate heat islands. However, their net climate benefit remains uncertain due to the poorly quantified release of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance. Here, we present the national-scale assessment of N₂O fluxes from China’s rapidly expanding UGS, based on high-frequency continuous monitoring and machine-learning extrapolation. We reveal that UGS function as intensive N₂O sources, with a mean emission intensity of 12.5 kg·N·ha^–1·yr^–1, even though most monitored plots received no direct fertilizer application. These emissions are driven by a unique urban synergy where anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment interacts with irrigation pulses and the urban heat island effect to trigger explosive hot moments of denitrification. Crucially, when converted to CO₂ equivalents, these N₂O emissions offset 68% of the reported carbon sequestration benefits provided by China’s UGS vegetation. Our findings demonstrate that ignoring N₂O emissions leads to a significant overestimation of the net climate benefit of urban greening. To ensure cities contribute effectively to climate neutrality, urban planning must pivot from simply maximizing green cover to implementing precision nitrogen-water management. 2026-09-25T00:00:00Z Dataset Dataset 10.1021/acs.est.6c07990.s004 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Nitrous_Oxide_Emissions_from_Urban_Green_Spaces_Substantially_Offset_Their_Carbon_Sequestration_Benefits/33995656 CC BY-NC 4.0