Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China, 1st ed. 2020 Emission, Deposition and Environmental Impacts

Atmospheric reactive nitrogen (N) emissions, as an important component of global N cycle, have been significantly altered by anthropogenic activities, and consequently have had a global impact on air pollution and ecosystem services. Due to rapid agricultural, industrial, and urban development, China has been experiencing an increase in reactive N emissions and deposition since the late 1970s. Based on a literature review, this book summarizes recent research on: 1) atmospheric reactive N in China from a global perspective (Chapter 1); 2) atmospheric reactive N emissions, deposition and budget in China (Chapters 2-5); 3) the contribution of atmospheric reactive N to air pollution (e.g., haze, surface O3, and acid deposition) (Chapters 6-8); 4) the impacts of N deposition on sensitive ecosystems (e.g., forests, grasslands, deserts and lakes) (Chapters 9-12); and 5) the regulatory strategies for mitigation of atmospheric reactive N pollution from agricultural and non-agricultural sectors in China (Chapters 13-14). As such it offers graduate students, researchers, educators in agricultural, ecological and environmental sciences, and policy makers a glimpse of the environmental issues related to reactive N in China .

​Chapter 1 Introduction

(Prof. Xuejun Liu, China Agricultural University;Assoc. Prof. Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University)

Overview of recent progress on understanding of atmospheric reactive nitrogen emission, deposition and impacts worldwide and in China

Part I Reactive nitrogen emission and deposition in China

Chapter 2 Spatial-temporal variations in NH_3, NOx and SO₂emissions

(Prof. Yu Song, Peking University & Prof. Qiang Zhang, Tsinghua University)

- Emission sources

- Method overview

- Spatial-temporal patterns

Chapter 3 Monitoring nitrogen deposition in China

(Prof. Xuejun Liu, China Agricultural University; Assoc. Prof. Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University; Dr. Wen Xu, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Assoc. Prof. Yuepeng Pan, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Assoc. Prof. Jianlin Shen, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

- Measurement methods of atmospheric reactive N concentration and deposition (including biomonitoring)< and uncertainties

- Development of ground-level and satellite monitoring networks

- Nitrogen deposition in mainland China (Inorganic vs organic; wet vs dry, source analysis)

- Nitrogen deposition in coastal seas (Inorganic vs organic; wet vs dry, source analysis)

- Uncertainty analysis of monitoring results

Chapter 4 Modelling nitrogen deposition in China

(Prof. LinZhang, Peking University & Prof. Xuemei Wang, Sun Yat-sen University)

 - Recent development of atmospheric deposition simulation

 - Modelling N deposition in China

 - Uncertainty analysis of N deposition simulation

Chapter 5 Reactive nitrogen budgets in China

(Prof. Baojing Gu, Zhejiang University)

- Background and methodology

- Flow analysis of nitrogen budgets in China

- Atmospheric reactive nitrogen in national nitrogen budget

Part II Contribution of atmospheric reactive nitrogen to China’s air pollution

Chapter 6 Contribution of atmospheric nitrogen to haze in China

(Prof. Song Guo, Peking University)

- Mechanism

- Assessment

- Mitigation measures of pollution control

Chapter 7 Contribution of atmospheric nitrogen on ozone pollution in China

(Prof. Zhaozhong Feng, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

- Mechanism

- Assessment

- Mitigation measures of pollution control

Chapter 8 Contribution of atmospheric nitrogen to acid rain in China

(Prof. Lei Duan, Tsinghua University & Assoc. Prof. Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University)

- Mechanism

- Assessment: contribution to acid deposition and soil acidification

- Mitigation measures of pollution control

Part III Impacts of nitrogen deposition on China’s ecosystems

Chapter 9 Impact of nitrogen deposition on China’s forest ecosystems

(Assoc. Prof. Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University & Assoc. Prof. Xiankai Lu, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

-Overview of nitrogen enrichment experiments in China’s forests

- Impacts on nutrient cycling

- Impacts on soil acidification

- Impacts on carbon cycling

- Impacts on biodiversity loss

Chapter 10 Impact of nitrogen deposition on China’s grassland ecosystems

(Prof. Jinsheng He, Peking University & Assoc. Prof. Li Kaihui, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, CAS)

- Overview of nitrogen enrichment experiments in China’s grassland

- Impacts on nutrient cycling

- Impacts on carbon cycling

- Impacts on biodiversity loss

Chapter 11 Impact of nitrogen deposition on China’s desert ecosystems

(Assoc. Prof. Xiaobing Zhou, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

- Impacts on nutrient cycling

- Impacts on carbon cycling

- Impacts on biodiversity loss

Chapter 12 Impact of nitrogen deposition on cropland ecosystems

(Prof. Xuejun Liu & Fusuo Zhang, China Agricultural University)

- Impacts on nutrient cycling

- Impacts on soil acidification

- Impacts on crop productivity

Chapter 13 Impact of nitrogen deposition on marine ecosystems

(Prof. Huiwang Gao, Ocean University of China)

- eutrophication,

- nutrient and carbon cycling

- species biodiversity

Part IV Management and policy implications

Chapter 14 National regulation of NOx and SO₂ emissions

 (Prof. Zhao Yu, Nanjing University)

- Overview of NOx and SO₂ emissions in China

- Policy implications

Chapter 15 Nitrogen regulation in agricultural systems

(Prof. Xuejun Liu & Fusuo Zhang, China Agricultural University)

- Overview of nitrogen use in China’s agricultural systems

- Methods to improve nitrogen use efficiency in China’s agricultural systems

- Policy implications

Chapter 16 Risk management and adaptations in natural ecosystems

 (Prof. Lei Duan, Tsinghua University)

- Overview of negative effects of nitrogen deposition on China’s natural ecosystems

- Methods of critical loads

- Assessment of critical loads in China’s natural ecosystems

- Policy implications

Chapter 17 Concluding remarks and outlook of future research

(Prof. Xuejun Liu, China Agricultural University & Assoc. Prof. Enzai Du, Beijing Normal University)

- Future research needs in emission assessment

- Future research needs in deposition assessment

- Future research needs in air pollution effects

- Future research needs in ecological impacts

- Concluding remarks

Dr. Xuejun Liu is a Professor at the China Agricultural University. He has been conducting studies on nitrogen (N) cycling, in particular on the source, fate and impacts on soil acidification, eutrophication and greenhouse gas emission in major Chinese croplands. He has published more than 130 peer-reviewed SCI papers in a number of leading international journals including Nature, Science and PNAS. He has established long-term cooperations with Hohenheim University (Germany), Rothamsted Research Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UK), Colorado State University and Stanford University (USA), as well as Wageningen University (NL). He has received support from China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists (2014), the national Ten-thousand Talents Program (2016) and was chosen to be the 2016 Figure of the Scientific Chinese in Environmental Science and Light Industry. His current research interests are atmospheric N deposition, PM2.5 pollution, agricultural NH3 mitigation and their impacts on food security, ecosystem and human health.   

Dr. Enzai Du is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University. His research interests focus on biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems and their responses to multiple global change factors, especially nitrogen deposition, climate change and air pollution. He has authored and co-authored about 40 peer-reviewed papers in international journals, many of which focus on the pattern of atmospheric nitrogen deposition and its impacts on forest ecosystems. He also serves as the coordinator of the IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) research unit (7.01.03) on atmospheric deposition, soils and nutrient cycles. He has co-chaired several sessions at IUFRO conferences and served as a member of the international scientific advisory board of 10th International Conference on Acid Deposition. Together with IUFRO colleagues, he has recently co-edit

Reviews the most recent advances in our understanding of nitrogen emission, deposition and environmental impacts in China

Addresses the status and mechanisms of environmental nitrogen impacts, which are helpful for graduate students and young researchers

Provides risk management and adaptation strategies for environmental nitrogen issues, offering valuable resources for policymakers