Nitrogen deposition and its ecological impact in China: An overview

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 159; no. 10; pp. 2251 - 2264
• Main Authors: Liu, Xuejun, Duan, Lei, Mo, Jiangming, Du, Enzai, Shen, Jianlin, Lu, Xiankai, Zhang, Ying, Zhou, Xiaobing, He, Chune, Zhang, Fusuo
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; aquatic ecosystems; Atmospheric pollution; Biodiversity; Biological and medical sciences; China; Control; critical load; Critical loads; Deposition; Ecological impact; Ecology; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; emissions; environmental impact; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution - statistics & numerical data; forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grasslands; issues and policy; Monitoring; N emission and deposition; nitrogen; Nitrogen - analysis; Nitrogen - toxicity; Plant Development; Plants - classification; Plants - drug effects; Pollution abatement; Terrestrial environment, soil, air; urban development; China; Asia; China, People's Rep; Atmospheric pollution; Critical loads; N emission and deposition; Ecological impact; Atmospheric fallout; Emission; Critical load; Air pollution; Ecology; Review; Nitrogen
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.08.002

Nitrogen (N) deposition is an important component in the global N cycle that has induced large impacts on the health and services of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Anthropogenic reactive N (Nr) emissions to the atmosphere have increased dramatically in China due to rapid agricultural, industrial and urban development. Therefore increasing N deposition in China and its ecological impacts are of great concern since the 1980s. This paper synthesizes the data from various published papers to assess the status of the anthropogenic Nr emissions and N deposition as well as their impacts on different ecosystems, including empirical critical loads for different ecosystems. Research challenges and policy implications on atmospheric N pollution and deposition are also discussed. China urgently needs to establish national networks for N deposition monitoring and cross-site N addition experiments in grasslands, forests and aquatic ecosystems. Critical loads and modeling tools will be further used in Nr regulation.
This paper reviews current knowledge on nitrogen deposition and its effects across China