Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6336784 | Atmospheric Environment | 2016 | 30 Pages |
Abstract
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, an important N source to agro-ecosystems, has increased intensively in China during recent decades. However, knowledge on temporal variations of total N deposition and their influencing factors is limited due to lack of systematic monitoring data. In this study, total N deposition, including dry and wet components, was monitored using the water surrogate surface method for a typical agro-ecosystem with a winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and summer maize (Zea mays L.) rotation system in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain from May 2008 to April 2012. The results indicated that annual total N deposition ranged from 23.8 kg N haâ1 (2009-2010) to 40.3 kg N haâ1 (2008-2009) and averaged 31.8 kg N haâ1. Great inter-annual variations were observed during the sampling period, due to differences in annual rainfall and gaseous N losses from farmlands. Monthly total N deposition varied greatly, from less than 0.6 kg N haâ1 (January, 2010) to over 8.0 kg N haâ1 (August, 2008), with a mean value of 2.6 kg N haâ1. In contrast to wet deposition, dry portions generally contributed more to the total, except in the precipitation-intensive months, accounting for 65% in average. NH4+-N was the dominant species in N deposition and its contribution to total deposition varied from 6% (December, 2009) to 79% (July, 2008), averaging 53%. The role of organic N (O-N) in both dry and wet deposition was equal to or even greater than that of NO3â-N. Influencing factors such as precipitation and its seasonal distribution, reactive N sources, vegetation status, field management practices, and weather conditions were responsible for the temporal variations of atmospheric N deposition and its components. These results are helpful for reducing the knowledge gaps in the temporal variations of atmospheric N deposition and their influencing factors in different ecosystems, to improve the understandings on N budget in the typical agro-ecosystem, and to provide references and recommendations for field nutrient management in this region.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Atmospheric Science
Authors
Ping Huang, Jiabao Zhang, Donghao Ma, Zhaofei Wen, Shengjun Wu, Gina Garland, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Anning Zhu, Xiuli Xin, Congzhi Zhang,