Estimation of global NH3 volatilization loss from synthetic fertilizers and animal manure applied to arable lands and grasslands

[1] One of the main causes of the low efficiency in nitrogen (N) use by crops is the volatilization of ammonia (NH3) from fertilizers. Information taken from 1667 NH3 volatilization measurements documented in 148 research papers was summarized to assess the influence on NH3 volatilization of crop type, fertilizer type, and rate and mode of application and temperature, as well as soil organic carbon, texture, pH, CEC, measurement technique, and measurement location. The data set was summarized in three ways: (1) by calculating means for each of the factors mentioned, in which findings from each research paper were weighted equally; (2) by calculating weighted median values corrected for unbalanced features of the collected data; and (3) by developing a summary model using linear regression based on weighted median values for NH3 volatilization and by calculating global NH3 volatilization losses from fertilizer application using 0.5° resolution data on land use and soils. The calculated median NH3 loss from global application of synthetic N fertilizers (78 million tons N per year) and animal manure (33 million tons N per year) amount to 14% (10–19%) and 23% (19–29%), respectively. In developing countries, because of high temperatures and the widespread use of urea, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium bicarbonate, estimated NH3 volatilization loss from synthetic fertilizers amounts to 18%, and in industrialized countries it amounts to 7%. The estimated NH3 loss from animal manure is 21% in industrialized and 26% in developing countries.

[1]  O. Oenema,et al.  Ammonia volatilization from dairy farming systems in temperate areas: a review , 1998, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems.

[2]  A. F. Mackenzie,et al.  Effect of tillage practices and hay straw on ammonia volatilization from nitrogen fertilizer solutions , 1992 .

[3]  D. Bachelet,et al.  Methane emissions from wetland rice areas of Asia , 1993 .

[4]  R. J. Orr,et al.  Micrometeorological studies of ammonia emission from sheep grazed swards , 1991, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[5]  J. Freney,et al.  Factors controlling ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from flooded rice fields , 1992 .

[6]  B. F. Pain,et al.  Ammonia volatilization from cattle slurry following surface application to grassland , 1990, Plant and Soil.

[7]  Effect of air flow rate, lime amendments, and chemical soil properties on the volatilization of ammonia from fertilizers applied to sandy soils , 1996, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[8]  P. Vlek,et al.  Reappraisal of the significance of ammonia volatilization as an N loss mechanism in flooded rice fields , 1986 .

[9]  L. Harper,et al.  Volatilization of ammonia from urine patches in a subtropical pasture , 1982 .

[10]  A. Bouwman.  Environmental science: Nitrogen oxides and tropical agriculture , 1998, Nature.

[11]  C. Nevison,et al.  Closing the global N2O budget: nitrous oxide emissions through the agricultural nitrogen cycle , 1998, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems.

[12]  Brussels eng.  Ammonia emissions to air in Western Europe , 1994 .

[13]  J. Lawes.  Agricultural Chemistry , 1880, Nature.

[14]  J. Freney,et al.  Ammonia and nitrous oxide losses following applications of ammonium sulfate to flooded rice , 1981 .

[15]  J. R. Simpson,et al.  Dynamics of Ammonia Volatilization during Furrow Irrigation of Maize , 1982 .

[16]  P. Vlek,et al.  Effects of Solution Chemistry and Environmental Conditions on Ammonia Volatilization Losses From Aqueous Systems , 1978 .

[17]  K. Cameron,et al.  Effects of form of nitrogen, season, and urea application rate on ammonia volatilisation from pastures , 1985 .

[18]  Zhenli He,et al.  Ammonia Volatilization From Different Fertilizer Sources And Effects Of Temperature And Soil ph1 , 1999 .

[19]  V. Smil.  Nitrogen in crop production: An account of global flows , 1999 .

[20]  D. R. Lockyer.  A system for the measurement in the field of losses of ammonia through volatilisation , 1984 .

[21]  Carolien Kroeze,et al.  Closing the global atmospheric N2O budget: nitrous oxide emissions through the agricultural nitrogen cycle. (OECD/IPCC/IEA Phase II Development of IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories). , 1997 .

[22]  P. Vlek,et al.  Effect of Nitrogen Source and Management on Ammonia Volatilization Losses from Flooded Rice—Soil System , 1979 .

[23]  S. Jarvis,et al.  The effects of grassland management on nitrogen losses from grazed swards through ammonia volatilization; the relationship to excretal N returns from cattle , 1989, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[24]  Arvin R. Mosier,et al.  Minimizing gaseous losses of nitrogen. , 1995 .

[25]  A. Bouwman,et al.  A global high‐resolution emission inventory for ammonia , 1997 .

[26]  C. Grant,et al.  SHORT COMMUNICATION: Volatile losses of NH3 from surface-applied urea and urea ammonium nitrate with and without the urease inhibitors NBPT or ammonium thiosulphate , 1996 .

[27]  E. Kanemasu,et al.  Ammonia loss from applications of urea-ammonium nitrate solution to straw residue , 1986 .

[28]  P. A. Burrough,et al.  Soil acidification from atmospheric ammonium sulphate in forest canopy throughfall , 1982, Nature.

[29]  D. Mengel,et al.  Ammonia volatilization from nitrogen fertilizers surface applied to no-till corn , 1986 .

[30]  S. K. De Datta,et al.  Influence of Field Environment and Fertilizer Management on Ammonia Loss from Flooded Rice , 1984 .

[31]  A. Bouwman,et al.  Towards reliable global bottom-up estimates of temporal and spatial patterns of emissions of trace gases and aerosols from land-use related and natural sources , 1999 .

[32]  J. R. Simpson,et al.  A Direct Field Measurement of Ammonia Emission After Injection of Anhydrous Ammonia1 , 1977 .

[33]  S. K. De Datta,et al.  Measuring Nitrogen Losses from Lowland Rice Using Bulk Aerodynamic and Nitrogen‐15 Balance Methods , 1989 .

[34]  Vuuren Dp van,et al.  Global Assessment of acidification and eutrophicationof natural ecosystems , 1999 .

[35]  O. T. Denmead,et al.  Micrometeorological methods for measuring gaseous losses of nitrogen in the field , 1983 .

[36]  Sue J. Welham,et al.  Genstat 5 release 3 reference manual , 1994 .

[37]  S. Datta,et al.  Ammonia Volatilization Losses from Flooded Rice Soils , 1978 .

[38]  A. Bouwman,et al.  Emissions of nitric oxide, nitrous oxide and ammonia from grasslands on a global scale. , 1997 .

[39]  D. Schimel,et al.  Simulation models of terrestrial trace gas fluxes at soil microsites to global scales , 1999 .

[40]  A. Bouwman,et al.  Scenarios of animal waste production and fertilizer use and associated ammonia emission for the developing countries , 1997 .

[41]  J. Alcamo,et al.  Simulating changes in global land cover as affected by economic and climatic factors , 1994 .

[42]  N. Batjes.  A world dataset of derived soil properties by FAO–UNESCO soil unit for global modelling , 1997 .