A long term study of ammonia in the air reveals high areas of pollution over agricultural hubs. The increases in ammonia are tied to crop fertilizers, livestock animal wastes, changes to atmospheric chemistry and warming soils that retain less ammonia.
"It's mainly agricultural, from fertilizer and animal husbandry," said Russell Dickerson, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science at UMD. "It has a profound effect on air and water quality -- and ecosystems. Here in Maryland, ammonia from the atmosphere contributes as much as a quarter of the nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, causing eutrophication and leading to dead zones that make life very difficult for oysters, blue crabs and other wildlife."
Different regions have different levels of ammonia present. In the US it is relatively low since no drastic changes to fertilizers have been made. But, the ammonia traces can be related to the destruction of atmospheric acids that remove ammonia from the air. As well as acid rains dropping the ammonia out of the atmosphere, but with fewer acids rains, more ammonia stays in the air.
There need to be better policies balancing pollution and agricultural demands.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170316112129.htm
"It's mainly agricultural, from fertilizer and animal husbandry," said Russell Dickerson, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic science at UMD. "It has a profound effect on air and water quality -- and ecosystems. Here in Maryland, ammonia from the atmosphere contributes as much as a quarter of the nitrogen pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, causing eutrophication and leading to dead zones that make life very difficult for oysters, blue crabs and other wildlife."
Different regions have different levels of ammonia present. In the US it is relatively low since no drastic changes to fertilizers have been made. But, the ammonia traces can be related to the destruction of atmospheric acids that remove ammonia from the air. As well as acid rains dropping the ammonia out of the atmosphere, but with fewer acids rains, more ammonia stays in the air.
There need to be better policies balancing pollution and agricultural demands.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170316112129.htm