Nitrogen Emissions, Deposition, and Monitoring in the Western United States

Nitrogen (N) deposition in the western United States ranges from 1 to 4 kilograms (kg) per hectare (ha) per year over much of the region to as high as 30 to 90 kg per ha per year downwind of major urban and agricultural areas. Primary N emissions sources are transportation, agriculture, and industry...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioscience 2003-04, Vol.53 (4), p.391-403
Main Authors: FENN, MARK E, HAEUBER, RICHARD, TONNESEN, GAIL S, BARON, JILL S, GROSSMAN-CLARKE, SUSANNE, HOPE, DIANE, JAFFE, DANIEL A, COPELAND, SCOTT, GEISER, LINDA, RUETH, HEATHER M, SICKMAN, JAMES O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air quality
animal feeding operations
Atmospherics
Dry deposition
Ecological effects
Ecological studies
Emission standards
Emissions
Emissions control
Environmental monitoring
Factory farming
hotspots
Metropolitan areas
Modeling
National parks
Nitrogen
Nitrogen oxides
OVERVIEW ARTICLES
Particulate emissions
Photochemicals
policy implications
Pollutant emissions
regional haze
Transportation
Urban agriculture
Urban Areas
Urbanization
Wet deposition
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Summary:Nitrogen (N) deposition in the western United States ranges from 1 to 4 kilograms (kg) per hectare (ha) per year over much of the region to as high as 30 to 90 kg per ha per year downwind of major urban and agricultural areas. Primary N emissions sources are transportation, agriculture, and industry. Emissions of N as ammonia are about 50% as great as emissions of N as nitrogen oxides. An unknown amount of N deposition to the West Coast originates from Asia. Nitrogen deposition has increased in the West because of rapid increases in urbanization, population, distance driven, and large concentrated animal feeding operations. Studies of ecological effects suggest that emissions reductions are needed to protect sensitive ecosystem components. Deposition rates are unknown for most areas in the West, although reasonable estimates are available for sites in California, the Colorado Front Range, and central Arizona. National monitoring networks provide long-term wet deposition data and, more recently, estimated dry deposition data at remote sites. However, there is little information for many areas near emissions sources.
ISSN:0006-3568
1525-3244
DOI:10.1641/0006-3568(2003)053[0391:NEDAMI]2.0.CO;2