Important contributions of non-fossil fuel nitrogen oxides emissions

Abstract

Since the industrial revolution, it has been assumed that fossil-fuel combustions dominate increasing nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions. However, it remains uncertain to the actual contribution of the non-fossil fuel NO_x to total NO_x emissions. Natural N isotopes of NO₃⁻ in precipitation (δ¹⁵N_w-NO3−) have been widely employed for tracing atmospheric NO_x sources. Here, we compiled global δ¹⁵N_w-NO3− observations to evaluate the relative importance of fossil and non-fossil fuel NO_x emissions. We found that regional differences in human activities directly influenced spatial-temporal patterns of δ¹⁵N_w-NO3− variations. Further, isotope mass-balance and bottom-up calculations suggest that the non-fossil fuel NO_x accounts for 55 ± 7% of total NO_x emissions, reaching up to 21.6 ± 16.6Mt yr⁻¹ in East Asia, 7.4 ± 5.5Mt yr⁻¹ in Europe, and 21.8 ± 18.5Mt yr⁻¹ in North America, respectively. These results reveal the importance of non-fossil fuel NO_x emissions and provide direct evidence for making strategies on mitigating atmospheric NO_x pollution.

This study investigates in the importance of non-fossil fuel NO_x emissions in the surface-earth-nitrogen cycle. The study shows how changes of regional human activities directly influence δ¹⁵N signatures of deposited NO_x to terrestrial environments and that emissions have largely been underestimated.