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      Unusually high soil nitrogen oxide emissions influence air quality in a high-temperature agricultural region

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          Abstract

          Fertilized soils have large potential for production of soil nitrogen oxide (NO x=NO+NO 2), however these emissions are difficult to predict in high-temperature environments. Understanding these emissions may improve air quality modelling as NO x contributes to formation of tropospheric ozone (O 3), a powerful air pollutant. Here we identify the environmental and management factors that regulate soil NO x emissions in a high-temperature agricultural region of California. We also investigate whether soil NO x emissions are capable of influencing regional air quality. We report some of the highest soil NO x emissions ever observed. Emissions vary nonlinearly with fertilization, temperature and soil moisture. We find that a regional air chemistry model often underestimates soil NO x emissions and NO x at the surface and in the troposphere. Adjusting the model to match NO x observations leads to elevated tropospheric O 3. Our results suggest management can greatly reduce soil NO x emissions, thereby improving air quality.

          Abstract

          Soil NO x emissions can significantly impact air quality in agricultural regions, particularly high temperature fertilized systems. Here, the authors investigate NO x emissions in one such system in California and suggest that the NO x emissions are the highest ever observed, with implications for air quality.

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          Integration of environmental, agronomic, and economic aspects of fertilizer management

          Nitrogen fertilization is a substantial source of nitrogen-containing trace gases that have both regional and global consequences. In the intensive wheat systems of Mexico, typical fertilization practices lead to extremely high fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO). In experiments, lower rates of nitrogen fertilizer, applied later in the crop cycle, reduced the loss of nitrogen without affecting yield and grain quality. Economic analyses projected this alternative practice to save 12 to 17 percent of after-tax profits. A knowledge-intensive approach to fertilizer management can substitute for higher levels of inputs, saving farmers money and reducing environmental costs.
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            Author and article information

            Journal
            Nat Commun
            Nat Commun
            Nature Communications
            Nature Pub. Group
            2041-1723
            10 November 2015
            2015
            : 6
            : 8753
            Affiliations
            [1 ]Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California , Berkeley, California 94720, USA
            [2 ]Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln , Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA
            [3 ]Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California , Riverside, California 92521, USA
            Author notes
            Author information
            http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6182-6856
            Article
            ncomms9753
            10.1038/ncomms9753
            4659929
            26556236
            f427fa0a-1bc6-4a6d-b166-f80964cab851
            Copyright © 2015, Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.

            This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

            History
            : 27 January 2015
            : 28 September 2015
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