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Cost of nitrogen use in the US Jana Compton, US EPA ORD NHEERL WED Corvallis Oregon
Dan Sobota, Oregon Dept. of Environmental QualityMichelle McCrackin, Stockholm University
Shweta Singh, University of TorontoEPA’s Sustainable & Healthy Communities Research Program
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Compton et al. 2011 Ecology Letters
Nitrogen (N) inputs to US increased 5-fold since 1900
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Where are the largest human inputs?
Sobota et al. 2013, FIEE
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Dominant Human N Source
Sobota et al., 2013, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
8-digit USGS Hydrologic Unit Codes
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What happens to the N inputs?
External63%
Houlton et al. 2012, Biogeochemistry
Multiple costs of reactive N
Modified from Galloway et al. (2003) and Compton et al. (2011)
Air
Land
Water
Consumption
Agriculture
Energy
Ozoneeffects
Groundwatereffects
ParticulateMatter effects
Stratosphericeffects
N2OAir
Surface watereffects
Oceaneffects
NH3
Soil
PlantAgroecosystemeffects
Soil
Crop Animal
Forests &Grasslands
effects
Coastaleffects
NHxNOyNOx
Greenhouseeffects
N2O
NHxNOy
N2O(aquatic)
Land
Water
Brazosports
NO3-
HealthyLakes.org
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Our approach
• Trace N fate through the cascade– Source: Fossil fuel combustion,
agriculture, sewage– Impacts: human health/social,
ecosystems, agriculture, climate• Combine N flux data with
compiled data on N costs• $/kg N (Compton et al. 2011; Birch et al.
2011; van Grinsven et al. 2013)
NASA
www.ovivowater.com
Drinking water contamination
Health effects of smog
Damages from eutrophication
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Costs of nitrogen pollution
Human respiratory health
Freshwater eutrophication
Damage to seagrass and fisheries
Low and high values are associated with the EU N Assessment (Van Grinsven et al. 2013 ES&T).
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Damages from source
Source/SectorDamage cost (billion USD)
Agriculture $157.1 Fossil fuel $50.2 Sewage $2.3
Total damages from NRange
$209.6 $81-441
kg N ha-1 yr-1
0 - 1
1 - 3
3 - 5
5 - 10
10 - 3
0
30 - 5
0
50 - 9
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Anthropogenic N leakage to the environment, circa 2000
Sobota et al., in review
0 500 1,000 km
~1800 km2 watershed units(8 digit Hydrologic Unit Codes)
N
Freshwater damage costs, circa 2000
0 500 1,000 km
~1800 km2 watershed units(8 digit Hydrologic Unit Codes)
$ ha-1 yr-1
2 - 10
10 - 5
0
50 - 1
00
100 -
500
500 -
1000
1000
- 195
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Sobota et al., 2015
N
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Other damage estimates
• Cost of N impacts in the EU27, 2008 – $97-625 billion USD (Van Grinsven et al. 2013)
• Gross annual damages from NOx and NH3, 2002 – $16 billion USD (Muller and Mendelsohn 2007)
• Increased mortality associated with NH3-derived PM2.5 from food export, 2006– $36 billion USD (Paulot & Jacob 2013 ES&T)
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Summary
• Human activities have increased N fixation by 5-fold. 65% goes to agriculture.
• 71% of N leaked ends up in water resources.
• Nitrogen damage costs are substantial.
• Better quantify costs, particularly for Harmful Algal Blooms and drinking water.
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For more information Jana Compton [email protected]
Also see: EPA SAB Integrated nitrogen committee report 2011EU Nitrogen Assessment 2011International Nitrogen Initiative website