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      Transformation of the Nitrogen Cycle: Recent Trends, Questions, and Potential Solutions

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          Abstract

          Humans continue to transform the global nitrogen cycle at a record pace, reflecting an increased combustion of fossil fuels, growing demand for nitrogen in agriculture and industry, and pervasive inefficiencies in its use. Much anthropogenic nitrogen is lost to air, water, and land to cause a cascade of environmental and human health problems. Simultaneously, food production in some parts of the world is nitrogen-deficient, highlighting inequities in the distribution of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Optimizing the need for a key human resource while minimizing its negative consequences requires an integrated interdisciplinary approach and the development of strategies to decrease nitrogen-containing waste.

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          Most cited references24

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          An Earth-system perspective of the global nitrogen cycle.

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            Nitrogen Cycles: Past, Present, and Future

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              Food for thought: lower-than-expected crop yield stimulation with rising CO2 concentrations.

              Model projections suggest that although increased temperature and decreased soil moisture will act to reduce global crop yields by 2050, the direct fertilization effect of rising carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) will offset these losses. The CO2 fertilization factors used in models to project future yields were derived from enclosure studies conducted approximately 20 years ago. Free-air concentration enrichment (FACE) technology has now facilitated large-scale trials of the major grain crops at elevated [CO2] under fully open-air field conditions. In those trials, elevated [CO2] enhanced yield by approximately 50% less than in enclosure studies. This casts serious doubt on projections that rising [CO2] will fully offset losses due to climate change.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Science
                Science
                American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
                0036-8075
                1095-9203
                May 16 2008
                May 16 2008
                : 320
                : 5878
                : 889-892
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Environmental Sciences Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
                [2 ]Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Campus Box 450, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
                [3 ]Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, ECN, Post Office Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten, Netherlands.
                [4 ]Faculty of Agriculture, Makerere University, Post Office Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
                [5 ]Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
                Article
                10.1126/science.1136674
                18487183
                5bd8968e-6d10-4b11-9058-db2660a62e38
                © 2008
                History

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