Nitrogen and Climate Change: An Explosive Story

230 Pages·2015·2.24 MB·English

by  Dave Reay (auth.)

Nitrogen and Climate Change
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Nitrogen and Climate
Change
An Explosive Story
Dave Reay
Professor of Carbon Management and Assistant Principal,
Global Environment & Society, University of Edinburgh, UK
© Dave Reay 2015
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,
Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-137-28695-6 ISBN 978-1-137-28696-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-137-28696-3

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Reay, Dave, 1972–
Nitrogen and climate change : an explosive story / Dave Reay, Professor
of Carbon Management and Assistant Principal, Global Environment &
Society, University of Edinburgh, UK.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.

1. Nitrogen—Environmental aspects. 2. Climate change mitigation.
3. Nitrogen cycle. I. Title.
TD885.5.N5R425 2015
551.51’12—dc23 2015002666
In memory of Phyllis, Frank and Bernard Hutchinson
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Contents
List of Table, Figures and Boxes viii
Preface – Wonderstuff xi
Acknowledgements xvii
Introduction 1
1 A Brief History of Nitrogen 9
2 Nitrogen and the Anthropocene 27
3 Nitrous Oxide as a Driver of Climate Change 39
4 Nitrous Oxide Sources 49
5 Airborne Nitrogen and Climate Change 69
6 Terrestrial Nitrogen and Climate Change 85
7 Freshwater Nitrogen and Climate Change 103
8 Marine Nitrogen and Climate Change 125
9 Agricultural Nitrogen and Climate Change Mitigation 145
10 Nitrogen in Food and Climate Change Mitigation 159
11 Nitrogen and Biofuels 169
12 Nitrogen and Geoengineering 179
13 Nitrogen and Climate Change Adaptation 193
Conclusion 207
Recommended Reading 209
Index 211
List of Table, Figures and Boxes
Table
4.1 Estimates of global anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions
(Tg N y−1) from different sources for the 1990s and 2000 50
Figures
I.1 Key interactions of nitrogen with the global greenhouse
effect 3
I.2 The web of nitrogen and climate change interactions
in our atmosphere 5
I.3 Key interactions of nitrogen and climate change
in aquatic environments 6
I.4 Key interactions of nitrogen and climate change on land 7
1.1 The natural terrestrial nitrogen cycle 11
2.1 Human disturbance and the terrestrial nitrogen cycle 34
3.1 Nitrification 41
3.2 Denitrification 42
4.1 Nitrous oxide and the natural terrestrial nitrogen cycle 52
4.2 Nitrous oxide and the marine nitrogen cycle 54
4.3 Anthropogenic nitrous oxide and the terrestrial
nitrogen cycle 56
5.1 The atmospheric nitrogen cycle 70
5.2 The web of nitrogen and climate change interactions
in our atmosphere 77
5.3 Nitrogen oxides and ozone 79
5.4 NOx and ammonia in the greenhouse effect 81
6.1 The terrestrial nitrogen cycle 88
viii
List of Table, Figures and Boxes ix
6.2 Nitrogen in the atmosphere and its deposition 90
6.3 Nitrogen deposition and the greenhouse effect 91
6.4 Key interactions of nitrogen and climate change on land 97
7.1 The freshwater nitrogen cycle 105
7.2 Key interactions of nitrogen and climate change
in aquatic environments 108
8.1 The marine nitrogen cycle 127
8.2 Key interactions of nitrogen and climate change
in marine environments 130
9.1 Anthropogenic terrestrial nitrogen cycle 147
12.1 Nitrogen and geoengineering 180
Boxes
P.1 Rocket fuel xiii
P.2 Nitrogen ‘bends’ xv
1.1 Nitrogen asphyxiation 16
1.2 Death rights 21
2.1 Explosive nitrogen 29
3.1 Nitrous oxide in medicine 40
3.2 Measuring nitrous oxide 44
4.1 Ice core nitrous oxide 51
4.2 Estimating nitrous oxide emissions 61
5.1 The evolution of smog 72
5.2 NOx as an urban ozone precursor 73
5.3 Urban heat islands 76
5.4 NOx and aviation’s climate impact 80
6.1 Nitrogen deposition 89
6.2 Nitrogen and acidification 98
7.1 The ‘leaky pipe’ 110