『Abstract
This paper contrasts the natural and anthropogenic controls on
the conversion of unreactive N2 to more reactive
forms of nitrogen (Nr). A variety of data sets are used to construct
global N budgets for 1860 and the early 1990s and to make projections
for the global N budget in 2050. Regional N budgets for Asia,
North America, and other major regions for the early 1990s, as
well as the marine N budget, are presented to highlight the dominant
fluxes of nitrogen in each region. Important findings are that
human activities increasingly dominate the N budget at the global
and at most regional scales, the terrestrial and open ocean N
budgets are essentially disconnected, and the fixed forms of N
are accumulating in most environmental reservoirs. The largest
uncertainties in our understanding of the N budget at most scales
are the rates of natural biological nitrogen fixation, the amount
of Nr storage in most environmental reservoirs, and the production
rates of N2 by denitrification.
Key words: Denitrification; fertilizer; Fossil fuel combustion;
Haber-Bosch; Nitrogen; Nitrogen fixation』
Introduction
Terrestrial Nr creation
Natural
Lightning
BNF
Problems and uncertainties
Previous estimates
Current estimates
Summary
Anthropogenic
1860
Early 1990s
Summary
Global terrestrial N budget
Introduction
1860
Fixation
Emission and deposition
Riverine export
Denitrification and storage
Summary
Early 1990s
Fixation
Emission and deposition
Riverine export
Nr storage versus denitrification
Atmosphere
Forests and grasslands
Agroecosystems
Groundwater
Surface waters
Landscape-scale estimates
Global-scale denitrification estimates
Summary
Regional nitrogen budgets
Introduction
Regional N Fluxes
Natural Nr creation
Anthropogenic Nr creation
Nr commodity exchange
Riverine discharge
Atmospheric emission, deposition and export to marine atmosphere
Points of discussion
Natural-versus-anthropogenic Nr creation
Nr transfer to other regions
Unknown losses of Nr
Summary
Marine N budgets
Introduction
Nr creation
N2 Fixation in the oceans by extrapolation
of direct measurements
Geochemical estimates of oceanic N2 fixation
Iron issues and distributions of BNF
Denitrification
denitrification for entire ocean and within basins
Particulate organic nitrogen (PON) flux and storage in sediment
N2O
Ocean basin budgets
Global
Basin
Outlook
Projections to 2050
Introduction
Nr creation
Natural BNF
Haber-Bosch
Cultivation-induced BNF
Combustion of fossil fuels
Nr distribution
Atmospheric emission and deposition
Riverine transport
Riverine transport versus atmospheric emissions
Nr storage versus denitrification
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Appendix I. Uncertainties in modeling reduced and oxidized nitrogen
deposition fluxes
Appendix II. The NTNI Model of riverine Nr transport
References