TY - JOUR
T1 - Isotopic advances in understanding reactive nitrogen deposition and atmospheric processing
AU - Elliott, Emily M.
AU - Yu, Zhongjie
AU - Cole, Amanda S.
AU - Coughlin, Justin G.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this work was provided by a National Science Foundation CAREER award (Grant No. 1253000 ) to E.M.E. and a University of Pittsburgh Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship to Z.Y. We thank the cooperative network of scientists, Program Office staff, and site operators that contribute to the continued success of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program and affiliated networks.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2019/4/20
Y1 - 2019/4/20
N2 - Recent advances in stable isotope measurements now allow for detailed investigations of the sources, transformations, and deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) species. Stable isotopes show promise as a complementary tool for apportioning emissions sources that contribute to deposition and also for developing a more robust understanding of the transformations that can influence these isotope ratios. Methodological advances have facilitated the unprecedented examination of the isotopic composition of reactive N species in the atmosphere and in precipitation including nitrogen oxides (NO x = nitric oxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )), atmospheric nitrate (NO 3 − ), nitric acid (HNO 3 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and ammonium (NH 4 + ). This isotopic information provides new insight into the mechanisms of transformation and cycling of reactive N in the atmosphere and moreover helps resolve the contribution of multiple NO x and NH 3 emission sources to deposition across landscapes, regions, and continents. Here, we highlight the current state of knowledge regarding the isotopic ratios of NO x and NH 3 emission sources and chemical alterations of isotopic ratios during atmospheric transformations. We also highlight illustrative examples where isotopic approaches are used and review recent methodological advances. While these highlights are not an exhaustive review of the literature, we hope they provide a glimpse of the potential for these methods to help resolve knowledge gaps regarding total N deposition to Earth surfaces. We conclude with promising opportunities for future research in the short-, medium-, and long-term.
AB - Recent advances in stable isotope measurements now allow for detailed investigations of the sources, transformations, and deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) species. Stable isotopes show promise as a complementary tool for apportioning emissions sources that contribute to deposition and also for developing a more robust understanding of the transformations that can influence these isotope ratios. Methodological advances have facilitated the unprecedented examination of the isotopic composition of reactive N species in the atmosphere and in precipitation including nitrogen oxides (NO x = nitric oxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 )), atmospheric nitrate (NO 3 − ), nitric acid (HNO 3 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and ammonium (NH 4 + ). This isotopic information provides new insight into the mechanisms of transformation and cycling of reactive N in the atmosphere and moreover helps resolve the contribution of multiple NO x and NH 3 emission sources to deposition across landscapes, regions, and continents. Here, we highlight the current state of knowledge regarding the isotopic ratios of NO x and NH 3 emission sources and chemical alterations of isotopic ratios during atmospheric transformations. We also highlight illustrative examples where isotopic approaches are used and review recent methodological advances. While these highlights are not an exhaustive review of the literature, we hope they provide a glimpse of the potential for these methods to help resolve knowledge gaps regarding total N deposition to Earth surfaces. We conclude with promising opportunities for future research in the short-, medium-, and long-term.
KW - Ammonia
KW - Atmospheric deposition
KW - Isotopes
KW - Nitrate
KW - Nitrogen oxides
KW - Reactive nitrogen
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U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.177
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.177
M3 - Article
C2 - 30690373
AN - SCOPUS:85060468050
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 662
SP - 393
EP - 403
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
ER -