Atmospheric wet deposition of nitrogen and sulfur in the agroecosystem in developing and developed areas of Southeastern China

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) deposition is a significant and growing issue for ecological environment in many parts of the world such as China. However, the study on atmospheric deposition, especially N deposition, is still at the initial stage and usually neglected in agro-ecosystems. To assess the characteristics of N and S wet deposition in agro-ecosystems, we selected Yingtan Station (YTS) located in the developing area and Changshu Station (CSS) in the developed area as typical, agricultural study sites in Southeastern China during 2010-2011. In the two areas, the total N and S wet deposition were in ranges of 30.49-37.37 kg ha−1 year−1 N and 56.02-59.06 kg ha−1 year−1 S, respectively, surpassing their corresponding critical loads in China. The annual means of NH4+-N, NO3−-N and dissolved organic N (DON) deposition contributed 49.6%, 26.4% and 24.0% of the total deposition, respectively. Similar total N and S deposition data were observed in the two sites, but their N species, especially DON, were different due to different numbers of slaughter pigs and types of N fertilizers applied. In conclusion, DON was identified as an important contributor to the total N deposition and should also be monitored in the future. Such high N and S deposition would deteriorate agroecosystems in Southeastern China. Related political measures on livestock industries, managements of motor vehicles and technologies of coal and oil combustion should be improved timely and implemented effectively for reducing the regional N emission and deposition in the future.