Governing processes for reactive nitrogen compounds in the European atmosphere
Review article, 2012

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) compounds have different fates in the atmosphere due to differences in the governing processes of physical transport, deposition and chemical transformation. N r compounds addressed here include reduced nitrogen (NH x : ammonia (NH 3 ) and its reaction product ammonium (NH 4 + )), oxidized nitrogen (NO y : nitrogen monoxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and their reaction products) as well as organic nitrogen compounds (organic N). Pollution abatement strategies need to take into account the differences in the governing processes of these compounds when assessing their impact on ecosystem services, biodiversity, human health and climate. NO x (NO + NO 2 ) emitted from traffic affects human health in urban areas where the presence of buildings increases the residence time in streets. In urban areas this leads to enhanced exposure of the population to NO x concentrations. NO x emissions generally have little impact on nearby ecosystems because of the small dry deposition rates of NO x . These compounds need to be converted into nitric acid (HNO 3 ) before removal through deposition is efficient. HNO 3 sticks quickly to any surface and is thereby either dry deposited or incorporated into aerosols as nitrate (NO 3 + ). In contrast to NOx compounds, NH 3 has potentially high impacts on ecosystems near the main agricultural sources of NH 3 because of its large ground-level concentrations along with large dry deposition rates. Aerosol phase NH 4 + and NO 3 + contribute significantly to background PM 2.5 and PM 10 (mass of aerosols with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 and 10 μm, respectively) with an impact on radiation balance as well as potentially on human health. Little is known quantitatively and qualitatively about organic N in the atmosphere, other than that it contributes a significant fraction of wet-deposited N, and is present in both gaseous and particulate forms. Further studies are needed to characterise the sources, air chemistry and removal rates of organic N emissions.

Author

O. Hertel

Roskilde University (RUC)

Aarhus University

C. A. Skjoth

Aarhus University

Lund University

S. Reis

UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

A. Bleeker

Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN)

Robert Harrison

King Abdulaziz University

University of Birmingham

J. N. Cape

UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

D. Fowler

UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Ute M. Skiba

UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

David Simpson

Geoscience and Remote Sensing

Norwegian Meteorological Institute

T. Jickells

University of East Anglia

M. Kulmala

University of Helsinki

S. Gyldenkärne

Aarhus University

L. L. Sörensen

Aarhus University

J. W. Erisman

University of Amsterdam

Mark Sutton

UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)

Biogeosciences

1726-4170 (ISSN) 1726-4189 (eISSN)

Vol. 9 12 4921-4954

ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system (MERGE)

Lund University (9945095), 2010-01-01 -- .

Subject Categories

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use

Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences

Environmental Sciences

DOI

10.5194/bg-9-4921-2012

More information

Latest update

10/14/2024