Intentional versus unintentional nitrogen use in the United States: trends, efficiency and implications

Human actions have both intentionally and unintentionally altered the global economy of nitrogen (N), with both positive and negative consequences for human health and welfare, the environment and climate change. Here we examine long-term trends in reactive N (Nr) creation and efficiencies of Nr use...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biogeochemistry 2013-07, Vol.114 (1-3), p.11-23
Main Authors: Houlton, Benjamin Z, Boyer, Elizabeth, Finzi, Adrien, Galloway, James, Leach, Allison, Liptzin, Daniel, Melillo, Jerry, Rosenstock, Todd S, Sobota, Dan, Townsend, Alan R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acid deposition
Acid rain
air
ammonia
anthropogenic activities
biodiversity
Biogeochemistry
Biogeosciences
byproducts
Clean Air Act-US
Climate change
Climate models
combustion
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecosystems
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental economics
Environmental law
Environmental protection
Environmental risk
Eutrophication
Fertilizers
Food crops
Food industries
foods
fossil fuels
Fuel combustion
Global economy
Greenhouse gases
human health
Industrial products
laws and regulations
Life Sciences
nitric oxide
Nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrous oxide
nutrient use efficiency
risk
Smog
Waterways
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Summary:Human actions have both intentionally and unintentionally altered the global economy of nitrogen (N), with both positive and negative consequences for human health and welfare, the environment and climate change. Here we examine long-term trends in reactive N (Nr) creation and efficiencies of Nr use within the continental US. We estimate that human actions in the US have increased Nr inputs by at least ~5 times compared to pre-industrial conditions. Whereas N₂ fixation as a by-product of fossil fuel combustion accounted for ~1/4 of Nr inputs from the 1970s to 2000 (or ~7 Tg N year⁻¹), this value has dropped substantially since then (to
ISSN:0168-2563
1573-515X
DOI:10.1007/s10533-012-9801-5