Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning
Nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) have an important impact on the atmosphere and biosphere through controls on oxidant concentrations and the formation of nitric acid (e.g. acid rain). Anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel combustion, land use change, and agriculture have altered the global nit...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tcd53527 2023-05-15T15:07:33+02:00 Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning Chellman, Nathan J. Hastings, Meredith G. McConnell, Joseph R. 2018-10-02 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-163 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2016-163/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-2016-163 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2016-163/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-163 2020-07-20T16:24:05Z Nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) have an important impact on the atmosphere and biosphere through controls on oxidant concentrations and the formation of nitric acid (e.g. acid rain). Anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel combustion, land use change, and agriculture have altered the global nitrogen cycle since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution but contributions from specific sources are difficult to quantify, hindering understanding of changes to the natural environment and design of effective mitigation strategies. Ice core records reveal changes in the nitrogen cycle over time in connection to climate, atmospheric chemistry, and the biosphere. Here we use a seasonally resolved ice core record of the nitrogen isotopic composition of nitrate ( δ 15 N–NO 3 − ), together with a broad suite of highly resolved (> 22 samples y −1 ) elemental and chemical tracers, to investigate sources of nitrate deposited in central Greenland from 1760 CE to present. A marked negative trend in δ 15 N–NO 3 − since ~ 1940 CE paralleled a nearly three-fold increase in nitrate concentration. Based on correlated increases in tracer concentrations, independent emission estimates of oil burning, and an isotope mixing model, North American oil combustion likely was the primary driver of recent changes in the nitrogen cycle recorded in Greenland. Text Arctic Greenland ice core Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Arctic Greenland |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) have an important impact on the atmosphere and biosphere through controls on oxidant concentrations and the formation of nitric acid (e.g. acid rain). Anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel combustion, land use change, and agriculture have altered the global nitrogen cycle since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution but contributions from specific sources are difficult to quantify, hindering understanding of changes to the natural environment and design of effective mitigation strategies. Ice core records reveal changes in the nitrogen cycle over time in connection to climate, atmospheric chemistry, and the biosphere. Here we use a seasonally resolved ice core record of the nitrogen isotopic composition of nitrate ( δ 15 N–NO 3 − ), together with a broad suite of highly resolved (> 22 samples y −1 ) elemental and chemical tracers, to investigate sources of nitrate deposited in central Greenland from 1760 CE to present. A marked negative trend in δ 15 N–NO 3 − since ~ 1940 CE paralleled a nearly three-fold increase in nitrate concentration. Based on correlated increases in tracer concentrations, independent emission estimates of oil burning, and an isotope mixing model, North American oil combustion likely was the primary driver of recent changes in the nitrogen cycle recorded in Greenland. |
format |
Text |
author |
Chellman, Nathan J. Hastings, Meredith G. McConnell, Joseph R. |
spellingShingle |
Chellman, Nathan J. Hastings, Meredith G. McConnell, Joseph R. Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
author_facet |
Chellman, Nathan J. Hastings, Meredith G. McConnell, Joseph R. |
author_sort |
Chellman, Nathan J. |
title |
Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
title_short |
Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
title_full |
Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
title_fullStr |
Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
title_full_unstemmed |
Increased nitrate and decreased δ15N–NO3− in the Greenland Arctic after 1940 attributed to North American oil burning |
title_sort |
increased nitrate and decreased δ15n–no3− in the greenland arctic after 1940 attributed to north american oil burning |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-163 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2016-163/ |
geographic |
Arctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Greenland |
genre |
Arctic Greenland ice core |
genre_facet |
Arctic Greenland ice core |
op_source |
eISSN: 1994-0424 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-2016-163 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2016-163/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-163 |
_version_ |
1766339033470861312 |