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- Title
Unexpected response of nitrogen deposition to nitrogen oxide controls and implications for land carbon sink.
- Authors
Liu, Mingxu; Shang, Fang; Lu, Xingjie; Huang, Xin; Song, Yu; Liu, Bing; Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Xuejun; Cao, Junji; Xu, Tingting; Wang, Tiantian; Xu, Zhenying; Xu, Wen; Liao, Wenling; Kang, Ling; Cai, Xuhui; Zhang, Hongsheng; Dai, Yongjiu; Zhu, Tong
- Abstract
Terrestrial ecosystems in China receive the world's largest amount of reactive nitrogen (N) deposition. Recent controls on nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) emissions in China to tackle air pollution are expected to decrease N deposition, yet the observed N deposition fluxes remain almost stagnant. Here we show that the effectiveness of NOx emission controls for reducing oxidized N (NOy = NOx + its oxidation products) deposition is unforeseen in Eastern China, with one-unit reduction in NOx emission leading to only 55‒76% reductions in NOy-N deposition, as opposed to the high effectiveness (around 100%) in both Southern China and the United States. Using an atmospheric chemical transport model, we demonstrate that this unexpected weakened response of N deposition is attributable to the enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity by NOx emissions reductions. The decline in N deposition could bear a penalty on terrestrial carbon sinks and should be taken into account when developing pathways for China's carbon neutrality. Recent vigorous controls in anthropogenic nitrogen oxide emissions in China cannot result in proportionate decreases in regional atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity offsets those reductions of precursor emissions.
- Subjects
CHINA; ATMOSPHERIC nitrogen; REACTIVE nitrogen species; CARBON cycle; NITROGEN oxides emission control; NITROGEN oxides; CARBON offsetting; GREENHOUSE gas mitigation
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2022, Vol 13, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41467-022-30854-y