Dangerous Nitrogen Pollution Could be Halved with New Efforts

Nitrogen pollution is a huge issue in our environment. Now, though, scientists have discovered that nitrogen pollution could be halved--assuming ambitious mitigation efforts are taken.

Nitrogen can take various forms through chemical reactions, and can contribute greatly to respirable dust and the formation of ground-level ozone. It can also pollute nearby water and greatly affect the environment.

"Nitrogen is an irreplaceable nutrient and a true life-saver as it helps agriculture to feed a growing world population-but it is unfortunately also a dangerous pollutant," said Benjamin Bodirsky, one of the researchers, in a news release.

In order to learn a little bit more about nitrogen pollution, the researchers ran extensive computer simulations in order to explore what mitigation measures would be most effective. The scientists found that as the global demand for food grows, it's likely that nitrogen pollution will skyrocket without mitigation efforts.

So what type of efforts should be taken? Currently, every second ton of nitrogen put on fields is not taken up by crops but is instead blown away by the wind, washed out by rain or decomposed by microorganisms. If farmers can more carefully target fertilizer application using soil measurements, they can reduce nitrogen pollution. In addition, farmers can aim to recycle animal dung to fertilize plants.

Nitrous oxide is a major contributor of greenhouse gases; yet nitrogen containing aerosols scatters light and thereby cools the climate. This intricately links nitrogen to our climate. That said, it's still crucial to lower pollution levels.

"The nitrogen cycle is interwoven with the climate system in various ways," said Hermann Lotze-Campen, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Currently the health effects of nitrogen pollution are clearly more important, because the different climate effects largely cancel out. But this may change-hence limiting nitrogen would have the double benefit of helping our health today and avoiding climate risks in the future."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.