Soil Quality: Carbon and Nitrogen Gases

Several gases are either produced or consumed by biological and chemical transformations of carbon and nitrogen in soils. Some of these gases, including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), play a role in the Earth’s radiation balance (greenhouse effect) while others, like carbon monoxide (CO), ammonia (NH₃), and nitrogen oxides (NOx, i.e., NO and NO₂) have negative impacts on atmospheric chemistry. In this entry, we briefly describe how carbon and nitrogen gases are produced or consumed in soils and how soil management and soil quality can affect these processes.