The 2024 Global N₂O Budget, published by the Global Carbon Project and international partners, provides the most comprehensive accounting yet of where N₂O comes from and where it goes. The updated analysis reveals persistent gaps in our understanding and identifies priority areas for further research.
Source Breakdown
Total global N₂O emissions in the 2020s average approximately 17 TgN/yr (teragrams of nitrogen per year). Natural sources contribute about 10 TgN/yr, dominated by tropical and temperate soils and the ocean. Anthropogenic sources account for 7 TgN/yr, with agriculture contributing the lion’s share.
Total sources: ~17.0
Natural soils: ~6.6
Agriculture: ~4.2
Ocean: ~3.4
Other anthropogenic: ~2.8
Total sinks (stratospheric): ~13.0
Atmospheric accumulation: ~4.0
Budget Imbalance
The 2024 budget still shows a closure gap of approximately 0.5–1.0 TgN/yr — emissions appear to exceed well-characterized sinks by this amount. This gap likely reflects underestimated agricultural emissions, particularly from tropical regions where measurement coverage is sparse. Closing this gap is a primary objective of current research programs.