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Human impact on the nitrogen cycle is diverse. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation . [ 1 ] As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs, the global nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) has been significantly altered over the past century.
Nitrogen's effects on agriculture profoundly influence crop growth, soil fertility, and overall agricultural productivity, while also exerting significant impacts on the environment. Nitrogen is an element vital to many environmental processes.
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the "Big 3" primary nutrients in commercial fertilizers, each of these fundamental nutrients play a key role in plant nutrition. [4] When nitrogen and phosphorus are not fully utilized by the growing plants, they can be lost from the farm fields and negatively impact air and downstream water quality. [5]
Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, and release of nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle. [17] [18] [19] Human modification of the global nitrogen cycle can negatively affect the natural environment system and also human health. [20] [21]
Nitrogen fertilizers are made from ammonia (NH 3) produced by the Haber–Bosch process. [28] In this energy-intensive process, natural gas (CH 4) usually supplies the hydrogen, and the nitrogen (N 2) is derived from the air. This ammonia is used as a feedstock for all other nitrogen fertilizers, such as anhydrous ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ...
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates world demand for nitrogen fertilizers will increase by 1.7% annually between 2011 and 2015. An increase of 7.5 million tonnes. Regional increases of nitrogen fertilizer use are expected to be 67% by Asia, 18% by the Americas, 10% by Europe, 3% by Africa, and 1% by ...
1.2 Environmental impacts. 1.3 Health effects. 2 ... One of the primary causes of nitrate pollution is the use of nitrogen fertilizers and application of manure to ...
Nitrogen fertilizer can be converted by soil bacteria to nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. [56] Nitrous oxide emissions by humans, most of which are from fertilizer, between 2007 and 2016 have been estimated at 7 million tonnes per year, [ 57 ] which is incompatible with limiting global warming to below 2 °C.