Environmental biogeochemistry of nitrogen in the Asian region

The pollution of atmosphere and transboundary transport of nitrogen (and sulfur) species is a great concern for the whole North Hemisphere. This leads to an increased atmospheric deposition of nitrogen. 

Increased use of nitrogen fertilizers, cultivation of nitrogen fixing crops and depositions are accompanyed by enforced denitrification and production of N2O. The latter is known as a species that accelerates ozone destruction in the stratosphere (see Chapter 6). 

Alteration of Nitrogen Cycling in the East Asian Region Regional bio geochemical budget approach 

Nitrogen is a key element of many biogeochemical processes and can be both a nutrient limiting the productivity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and a pollutant, for which excessive accumulation in biogeochemical food chains leads to many environmental problems. The main anthropogenic sources of nitrogen pollution are related to fertilizer application, waste production and emission of gaseous species. 

The abatement strategy for reduction of N emission and deposition, as well as decreasing of undesirable losses from agroecosystems owing to excessive application of fertilizers, has to be based on calculations of its regional biogeochemical budgets with quantitative parameterization of different fluxes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. 

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