Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes
Summary: Human activities have increased reactive nitrogen (Nr) input to terrestrial ecosystems compared with the pre-industrial era. However, the fate of such Nr input remains uncertain, leading to missing sink of the global nitrogen budget. By synthesizing records of Nr burial in sediments from 30...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-11-01
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| Series: | The Innovation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675821000837 |
| _version_ | 1818993025909522432 |
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| author | Mei Wang Benjamin Z. Houlton Sitong Wang Chenchen Ren Hans J.M. van Grinsven Deli Chen Jianming Xu Baojing Gu |
| author_facet | Mei Wang Benjamin Z. Houlton Sitong Wang Chenchen Ren Hans J.M. van Grinsven Deli Chen Jianming Xu Baojing Gu |
| author_sort | Mei Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Human activities have increased reactive nitrogen (Nr) input to terrestrial ecosystems compared with the pre-industrial era. However, the fate of such Nr input remains uncertain, leading to missing sink of the global nitrogen budget. By synthesizing records of Nr burial in sediments from 303 lakes worldwide, here we show that 9.6 ± 1.1 Tg N year−1 (Tg = 1012 g) accumulated in inland water sediments from 2000 to 2010, accounting for 3%–5% of global Nr input to the land from combined natural and anthropogenic pathways. The recent Nr burial flux doubles pre-industrial estimates, and Nr burial rate significantly increases with global increases in human population and air temperature. Sediment ratios of C:N decrease after 1950 while N:P ratios increase over time due to increasingly elevated Nr burial and other related processes in lakes. These findings imply that Nr burial in lakes is overlooked as an important global sink of Nr input to terrestrial ecosystems. Public summary: • Ten million tons of nitrogen was buried in lake sediment annually during 2000–2010 • Lake nitrogen burial rate is increasing since the 1860s • Nitrogen burial is highly correlated with carbon burial rate in lakes • Nitrogen burial in lakes can explain part of the global missing nitrogen sink |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:35:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-266e21c67ddf424db16a543b30e26492 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-6758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T20:35:30Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Innovation |
| spelling | doaj.art-266e21c67ddf424db16a543b30e264922022-12-21T19:27:14ZengElsevierThe Innovation2666-67582021-11-0124100158Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakesMei Wang0Benjamin Z. Houlton1Sitong Wang2Chenchen Ren3Hans J.M. van Grinsven4Deli Chen5Jianming Xu6Baojing Gu7School of Geographical Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, ChinaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Global Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USACollege of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaDepartment of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaPBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 2500 GH The Hague, the NetherlandsSchool of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, AustraliaCollege of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaCollege of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Corresponding authorSummary: Human activities have increased reactive nitrogen (Nr) input to terrestrial ecosystems compared with the pre-industrial era. However, the fate of such Nr input remains uncertain, leading to missing sink of the global nitrogen budget. By synthesizing records of Nr burial in sediments from 303 lakes worldwide, here we show that 9.6 ± 1.1 Tg N year−1 (Tg = 1012 g) accumulated in inland water sediments from 2000 to 2010, accounting for 3%–5% of global Nr input to the land from combined natural and anthropogenic pathways. The recent Nr burial flux doubles pre-industrial estimates, and Nr burial rate significantly increases with global increases in human population and air temperature. Sediment ratios of C:N decrease after 1950 while N:P ratios increase over time due to increasingly elevated Nr burial and other related processes in lakes. These findings imply that Nr burial in lakes is overlooked as an important global sink of Nr input to terrestrial ecosystems. Public summary: • Ten million tons of nitrogen was buried in lake sediment annually during 2000–2010 • Lake nitrogen burial rate is increasing since the 1860s • Nitrogen burial is highly correlated with carbon burial rate in lakes • Nitrogen burial in lakes can explain part of the global missing nitrogen sinkhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675821000837biogeochemistrynitrogen accumulationsinkeutrophicationcarbon |
| spellingShingle | Mei Wang Benjamin Z. Houlton Sitong Wang Chenchen Ren Hans J.M. van Grinsven Deli Chen Jianming Xu Baojing Gu Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes The Innovation biogeochemistry nitrogen accumulation sink eutrophication carbon |
| title | Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| title_full | Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| title_fullStr | Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| title_short | Human-caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| title_sort | human caused increases in reactive nitrogen burial in sediment of global lakes |
| topic | biogeochemistry nitrogen accumulation sink eutrophication carbon |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666675821000837 |
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