New paper: “Towards a climate-dependent paradigm of ammonia emission and deposition” published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B.

The journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. publishes a new study “Towards a climate-dependent paradigm of ammonia emission and deposition” within a themed volume of 14 papers entitled “The global nitrogen cycle in the 21st century”.

Ammonia (NH₃) is emitted to the atmosphere from agricultural activities, including from livestock and from fertilizers, and from natural sources. Ammonia is of concern in the environment because it contributes to acidification and eutrophication (overfertilization) of ecosystems and also plays a part in the formation of fine particles (PM_2.5) which impact human health.

Most of these ammonia emissions are very sensitive to temperature and water availability. Until now, most ammonia emission inventories used fixed estimates. In this paper, we outline the basis for a new modelling paradigm where both ammonia emissions and deposition are calculated online according to diurnal, seasonal and spatial differences in meteorology. This modelling framework allows us to assess the consequences of climate change. The results show that a warmer climate will lead to higher ammonia emissions. Initial estimates suggest that a 5°C warming would increase ammonia emissions by around 42%.

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http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/368/1621/20130166.abstract

Title: Towards a climate-dependent paradigm of ammonia emission and deposition.

Publication: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 2013 368 20130166; doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0166

Authors: Mark A. Sutton, Stefan Reis, Stuart N. Riddick, Ulrike Dragosits, Eiko Nemitz, Mark R. Theobald, Y. Sim Tang, Christine F. Braban, Massimo Vieno, Anthony J. Dore, Robert F. Mitchell, Sarah Wanless, Francis Daunt, David Fowler, Trevor D. Blackall, Celia Milford, Chris R. Flechard, Benjamin Loubet, Raia Massad, Pierre Cellier, Pierre F. Coheur, Lieven Clarisse, Martin van Damme, Yasmine Ngadi, Cathy Clerbaux, Carsten Ambelas Skjøth, Camilla Geels, Ole Hertel, Roy J. Wichink Kruit, Robert W. Pinder, Jesse O. Bash, John D. Walker, Dave Simpson, Laszlo Horvath, Tom H. Misselbrook, Albert Bleeker, Frank Dentener and Wim de Vries