Dispersion, deposition and impacts of atmospheric ammonia: quantifying local budgets and spatial variability

Sutton, Mark A.; Milford, C.; Dragosits, Ulrike; Place, Chris; Singles, R.J.; Smith, R. I.; Pitcairn, C. E. R.; Fowler, D.; Hill, J.; ApSimon, Helen; Ross, C. A.; Hill, R.; Jarvis, S. C.; Pain, B. F.; Phillips, V. C.; Harrison, R.; Moss, D.; Webb, John A.; Espenhahn, S. E.; Lee, David S.; Hornung, M.; Ullyett, Jackie; Bull, K. R.; Emmett, Bridget A.; Lowe, John; Wyers, G.P.

doi:10.1016/s0269-7491(98)80054-7

Cited by 123 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It means that local sources inside the satellite footprint could have a strong influence on the IASI column values but not be represented in the ground-based data sets due to the high horizontal gradient of NH 3 concentrations around the source Sutton et al, 1998;Hertel et al, 2012). Conversely, background concentrations within the IASI pixel will tend to mask single local sources.…”

Section: Hourly Resolved Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Limited availability of ammonia (NH 3 ) observations is currently a barrier for effective monitoring of the nitrogen cycle. It prevents a full understanding of the atmospheric processes in which this trace gas is involved and therefore impedes determining its related budgets. Since the end of 2007, the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite has been observing NH 3 from space at a high spatio-temporal resolution. This valuable data set, already used by models, still needs validation. We present here a first attempt to validate IASI-NH 3 measurements using existing independent ground-based and airborne data sets. The yearly distributions reveal similar patterns between ground-based and space-borne observations and highlight the scarcity of local NH 3 measurements as well as their spatial heterogeneity and lack of representativity. By comparison with monthly resolved data sets in Europe, China and Africa, we show that IASI-NH 3 observations are in fair agreement, but they are characterized by a smaller variation in concentrations. The use of hourly and airborne data sets to compare with IASI individual observations allows investigations of the impact of averaging as well as the representativity of independent observations for the satellite footprint. The importance of considering the latter and the added value of densely located airborne measurements at various altitudes to validate IASI-NH 3 columns are discussed. Perspectives and guidelines for future validation work on NH 3 satellite observations are presented.

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Section: Hourly Resolved Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite

et al. 2015

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“…A large portion of NH 3 is readily deposited in the first 4-5 km from its source, but when in fine particulate form (as NH + 4 ), its lifetime is days to several weeks (Galperin and Sofiev, 1998;Park et al, 2004;Behera et al, 2013;Paulot et al, 2014), and it can be transported hundreds of kilometres (Krupa, 2003;Galloway et al, 2008;Makar et al, 2009). Deposition of NH 3 and these aerosols can lead to nitrogen eutrophication and soil acidification (Fangmeier et al, 1994;Sutton et al, 1998;Dragosits et al, 2002;Carfrae et al, 2004). NH 3 is listed as a "criteria air contaminant" (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2017) in order to help address air quality issues such as smog and acid rain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic sources to ambient ammonia in the Athabasca Oil Sands and north-western Canada

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Atmospheric ammonia (NH 3 ) is a short-lived pollutant that plays an important role in aerosol chemistry and nitrogen deposition. Dominant NH 3 emissions are from agriculture and forest fires, both of which are increasing globally. Even remote regions with relatively low ambient NH 3 concentrations, such as northern Alberta and Saskatchewan in northern Canada, may be of interest because of industrial oil sands emissions and a sensitive ecological system. A previous attempt to model NH 3 in the region showed a substantial negative bias compared to satellite and aircraft observations. Known missing sources of NH 3 in the model were re-emission of NH 3 from plants and soils (bidirectional flux) and forest fire emissions, but the relative impact of these sources on NH 3 concentrations was unknown. Here we have used a research version of the high-resolution air quality forecasting model, GEM-MACH, to quantify the relative impacts of semi-natural (bidirectional flux of NH 3 and forest fire emissions) and direct anthropogenic (oil sand operations, combustion of fossil fuels, and agriculture) sources on ammonia volume mixing ratios, both at the surface and aloft, with a focus on the Athabasca Oil Sands region during a measurement-intensive campaign in the summer of 2013. The addition of fires and bidirectional flux to GEM-MACH has improved the model bias, slope, and correlation coefficients relative to ground, aircraft, and satellite NH 3 measurements significantly.By running the GEM-MACH-Bidi model in three configurations and calculating their differences, we find that averaged over Alberta and Saskatchewan during this time period an average of 23.1 % of surface NH 3 came from direct anthropogenic sources, 56.6 % (or 1.24 ppbv) from bidirectional flux (re-emission from plants and soils), and 20.3 % (or 0.42 ppbv) from forest fires. In the NH 3 total column, an average of 19.5 % came from direct anthropogenic sources, 50.0 % from bidirectional flux, and 30.5 % from forest fires. The addition of bidirectional flux and fire emissions caused the overall average net deposition of NH x across the domain to be increased by 24.5 %. Note that forest fires are very episodic and their contributions will vary significantly for different time periods and regions.This study is the first use of the bidirectional flux scheme in GEM-MACH, which could be generalized for other volatile or semi-volatile species. It is also the first time CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder) satellite observations of NH 3 have been used for model evaluation, and the first use of fire emissions in GEM-MACH at 2.5 km resolution.

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“…Ferm [43] has estimated that about 50% of NH 3 is deposited within 50 km of the source. This fraction depends, however, on the type of surface in the area, [44] as well as on the atmospheric stability and the concentration of acid gases and aerosols in the atmosphere. Asman [45] found that, depending on the surface roughness, between 20 and 60% of the emitted NH 3 was deposited within 2 km of the source.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling Nitrogen Deposition on a Local Scale—A Review of the Current State of the Art

Hertel¹,

Skjøth²,

Løfstrøm³

et al. 2006

Environ. Chem.

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Local ammonia emissions from agricultural activities are often associated with high nitrogen deposition in the close vicinity of the sources. High nitrogen (N) inputs may significantly affect the local ecosystems. Over a longer term, high loads may change the composition of the ecosystems, leading to a general decrease in local biodiversity. In Europe there is currently a significant focus on the impact of atmospheric N load on local ecosystems among environmental managers and policy makers. Model tools designed for application in N deposition assessment and aimed for use in the regulation of anthropogenic nitrogen emissions are, therefore, under development in many European countries. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the current understanding and modelling parameterizations of atmospheric N deposition. A special focus is on the development of operational tools for use in environmental assessment and regulation related to agricultural ammonia emissions. For the often large number of environmental impact assessments needed to be carried out by local environmental managers there is, furthermore, a need for simple and fast model systems. These systems must capture the most important aspects of dispersion and deposition of N in the nearby environment of farms with animal production. The paper includes a discussion on the demands on the models applied in environmental assessment and regulation and how these demands are fulfilled in current state-of-the-art models.

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Dispersion, deposition and impacts of atmospheric ammonia: quantifying local budgets and spatial variability

Cited by 123 publications

References 18 publications

Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite

Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic sources to ambient ammonia in the Athabasca Oil Sands and north-western Canada

Modelling Nitrogen Deposition on a Local Scale—A Review of the Current State of the Art

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Dispersion, deposition and impacts of atmospheric ammonia: quantifying local budgets and spatial variability

Cited by 123 publications

References 18 publications

Towards validation of ammonia (NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;) measurements from the IASI satellite

Towards validation of ammonia (NH&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;) measurements from the IASI satellite

Contributions of natural and anthropogenic sources to ambient ammonia in the Athabasca Oil Sands and north-western Canada

Modelling Nitrogen Deposition on a Local Scale—A Review of the Current State of the Art

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Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite

Towards validation of ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>) measurements from the IASI satellite