Chapter 8
Contribution of Atmospheric Reactive
Nitrogen to Acid Deposition in China
Qian Yu and Lei Duan
Abstract Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition has negative impacts on the terrestrial
ecosystems, including acidification, N leaching, and eutrophication. The contribution of N deposition to acid deposition, the acidification of soil and surface water,
acidification buffering processes, and future prospects of acid rain control in China
were synthesized in this chapter. It is clear that N deposition has an increasing
contribution to acid deposition in China in recent decades. Surface waters across
China are generally not acidic by N deposition. The nitrate (NO 3
À ) concentrations
had a tiny increase in surface waters under elevated N deposition, indicating much
less acidifying effects of N deposition than sulfur (S) deposition on surface water.
However, soil acidification, accompanied by N leaching, has been commonly
reported in China. Currently, the N deposition seems having more critical contribution than S deposition to soil acidification due to N transformations, especially in the
well-drained soils with low denitrification rate. Elevated base cation (BC, including
Ca
2+ , Mg
2+ , K
+
, and Na
+
) deposition, soil weathering, and effective sinks of N and S
play important roles in acidification buffering under elevated acid deposition. The
significant sinks of N and S may attribute to the denitrification and S sorption
(including reduction and adsorption). The recovery of acidification of soil and
surface water requires additional abatements of the emissions of acidifying precursors, especially NO x and NH 3 , and try more effective measures of acidification
remediation.
Q. Yu
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of
Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
L. Duan (*)
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of
Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Collaborative Innovation Centre for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University,
Beijing, China
e-mail: lduan@tsinghua.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_8
155
Contribution of Atmospheric Reactive
Nitrogen to Acid Deposition in China
Qian Yu and Lei Duan
Abstract Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition has negative impacts on the terrestrial
ecosystems, including acidification, N leaching, and eutrophication. The contribution of N deposition to acid deposition, the acidification of soil and surface water,
acidification buffering processes, and future prospects of acid rain control in China
were synthesized in this chapter. It is clear that N deposition has an increasing
contribution to acid deposition in China in recent decades. Surface waters across
China are generally not acidic by N deposition. The nitrate (NO 3
À ) concentrations
had a tiny increase in surface waters under elevated N deposition, indicating much
less acidifying effects of N deposition than sulfur (S) deposition on surface water.
However, soil acidification, accompanied by N leaching, has been commonly
reported in China. Currently, the N deposition seems having more critical contribution than S deposition to soil acidification due to N transformations, especially in the
well-drained soils with low denitrification rate. Elevated base cation (BC, including
Ca
2+ , Mg
2+ , K
+
, and Na
+
) deposition, soil weathering, and effective sinks of N and S
play important roles in acidification buffering under elevated acid deposition. The
significant sinks of N and S may attribute to the denitrification and S sorption
(including reduction and adsorption). The recovery of acidification of soil and
surface water requires additional abatements of the emissions of acidifying precursors, especially NO x and NH 3 , and try more effective measures of acidification
remediation.
Q. Yu
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of
Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
L. Duan (*)
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of
Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Collaborative Innovation Centre for Regional Environmental Quality, Tsinghua University,
Beijing, China
e-mail: lduan@tsinghua.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_8
155