Chapter 3
Monitoring Atmospheric Nitrogen
Deposition in China
Xuejun Liu, Wen Xu, Lei Liu, Enzai Du, Jianlin Shen, Xiaosheng Luo,
Xiuying Zhang, and Keith Goulding
Abstract Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, one of the main pathways of loss
for reactive N (N r ) species in the atmosphere, refers to the removal of N r species as
dry and wet deposition. It is an N input to terrestrial and water ecosystems and can
have both substantially positive (as a nutrient source) and negative (e.g. biodiversity
decline via N deposition-induced acidification and eutrophication) effects on ecosystems. Monitoring N deposition is crucial for a better understanding of its magnitude, optimizing deposition parameters in chemical transport models and evaluating
the helpfulness of policies to reduce N r emissions and deposition. This chapter
reviews research progress in field and satellite monitoring of N depositions. Generally, dry and wet N deposition are of equal importance, and both vary greatly in
space and time, with the former dominating mainly in northern China and the latter
in southern China. Nitrogen deposition significantly increased during the period
All authors contributed equally.
X. Liu (*) · W. Xu
Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of MOE, College of Resources and Environmental
Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University,
Beijing, China
e-mail: liu310@cau.edu.cn
L. Liu · X. Zhang
Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science and Technology,
International Institute for Earth System Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
E. Du
Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
J. Shen
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China
X. Luo
Henan Key Laboratory of Agricultural Eco-environment, Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources
and Environmental Sciences, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
K. Goulding
The Sustainable Agricultural Sciences Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
© 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_3
41
Monitoring Atmospheric Nitrogen
Deposition in China
Xuejun Liu, Wen Xu, Lei Liu, Enzai Du, Jianlin Shen, Xiaosheng Luo,
Xiuying Zhang, and Keith Goulding
Abstract Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, one of the main pathways of loss
for reactive N (N r ) species in the atmosphere, refers to the removal of N r species as
dry and wet deposition. It is an N input to terrestrial and water ecosystems and can
have both substantially positive (as a nutrient source) and negative (e.g. biodiversity
decline via N deposition-induced acidification and eutrophication) effects on ecosystems. Monitoring N deposition is crucial for a better understanding of its magnitude, optimizing deposition parameters in chemical transport models and evaluating
the helpfulness of policies to reduce N r emissions and deposition. This chapter
reviews research progress in field and satellite monitoring of N depositions. Generally, dry and wet N deposition are of equal importance, and both vary greatly in
space and time, with the former dominating mainly in northern China and the latter
in southern China. Nitrogen deposition significantly increased during the period
All authors contributed equally.
X. Liu (*) · W. Xu
Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions of MOE, College of Resources and Environmental
Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University,
Beijing, China
e-mail: liu310@cau.edu.cn
L. Liu · X. Zhang
Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science and Technology,
International Institute for Earth System Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
E. Du
Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
J. Shen
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China
X. Luo
Henan Key Laboratory of Agricultural Eco-environment, Institute of Plant Nutrition, Resources
and Environmental Sciences, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
K. Goulding
The Sustainable Agricultural Sciences Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK
© 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_3
41