Oikawa PY, Ge C, Wang J, Eberwein JR, Liang LL, Allsman LA, Grantz DA, Jenerette GD. Unusually high soil nitrogen oxide emissions influence air quality in a high-temperature agricultural region.
Nat Commun 2015;
6:8753. [PMID:
26556236 PMCID:
PMC4659929 DOI:
10.1038/ncomms9753]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Fertilized soils have large potential for production of soil nitrogen oxide (NOx=NO+NO2), however these emissions are difficult to predict in high-temperature environments. Understanding these emissions may improve air quality modelling as NOx contributes to formation of tropospheric ozone (O3), a powerful air pollutant. Here we identify the environmental and management factors that regulate soil NOx emissions in a high-temperature agricultural region of California. We also investigate whether soil NOx emissions are capable of influencing regional air quality. We report some of the highest soil NOx emissions ever observed. Emissions vary nonlinearly with fertilization, temperature and soil moisture. We find that a regional air chemistry model often underestimates soil NOx emissions and NOx at the surface and in the troposphere. Adjusting the model to match NOx observations leads to elevated tropospheric O3. Our results suggest management can greatly reduce soil NOx emissions, thereby improving air quality.
Soil NOx emissions can significantly impact air quality in agricultural regions, particularly high temperature fertilized systems. Here, the authors investigate NOx emissions in one such system in California and suggest that the NOx emissions are the highest ever observed, with implications for air quality.
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