Researcher Finds Link Between Soil Nitrite and Atmospheric Detergent Effect

The study is published in the Aug. 18 online edition of the journal Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/08/17/science.1207687).

Hydroxyl radicals (OH) have long been known to serve as an atmospheric “detergent,” which oxidizes air pollutants and makes them more easily washed out of the air. Atmospheric nitrous acid is an important source of OH, producing up to 30 percent according to field measurement data. However, the major source of HONO has been a mystery — until now.

In laboratory studies, the researchers showed that soil nitrites — produced by biogenic conversion of fertilizer — emit significant amounts of HONO into the atmosphere. The result is a strong increase in the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere.

The release of HONO from arable soils is particularly important in developing countries because of the increased use of fertilizers and soil acidification.

Cheng said that because eutrophication resulting from the use of farm fertilizers harms the environment in many ways, their research finding should be interpreted as showing that soil nitrite can buffer, in some respects — but not counteract — the overall impact of fertilizer application.

“Due to the widespread occurrence of nitrite-producing microbes and natural nitrogen nutrient in soil, the release of nitrous acid from soils may also be influential in natural environments, including forests and boreal regions,” said Cheng, the lead author of the paper.

Cheng is a post-doctoral researcher studying under Greg Carmichael, UI professor of chemical and biochemical engineering in the College of Engineering and co-director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER).

Cheng's co-authors on the Science paper are: Hang Su, Robert Oswald, Thomas Behrendt, Ivonne Trebs, Franz X. Meixner, Meinrat O. Andreae, Peng Cheng, Yuanhang Zhang and Ulrich Pöschl. The paper is titled, “Soil nitrite as a source of atmospheric HONO and OH radicals.”

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500

MEDIA CONTACT: Gary Galluzzo, 319-384-0009, gary-galluzzo@uiowa.edu

Media Contact

Gary Galluzzo Newswise Science News

More Information:

http://www.uiowa.edu

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

The Sound of the Perfect Coating

Fraunhofer IWS Transfers Laser-based Sound Analysis of Surfaces into Industrial Practice with “LAwave”. Sound waves can reveal surface properties. Parameters such as surface or coating quality of components can be…

Customized silicon chips

…from Saxony for material characterization of printed electronics. How efficient are new materials? Does changing the properties lead to better conductivity? The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS develops and…

Acetylation: a Time-Keeper of glucocorticoid Sensitivity

Understanding the regulatory mechanism paves the way to enhance the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory therapies and to develop strategies to counteract the negative effects of stress- and age-related cortisol excess. The…

Partners & Sponsors