Umweltbundesamt

Home > Air Quality and the Nitrogen Cycle

Cover Factsheet Air Quality and the Nitrogen Cycle
Air, Soil | Land

Air Quality and the Nitrogen Cycle

Factsheet


Nitrogen emissions in the form of nitrogen oxides (NOX) or ammonia (NH3) contribute to the formation of groundlevel ozone and secondary fine particulates, which, together with nitrogen dioxide, are major air pollutants with significant impacts on human health. In addition, ammonia and ground-level ozone cause damage to crops and natural ecosystems. Excess reactive nitrogen lost to the environment disrupts natural cycles and results in eutrophication and acidification of ecosystems, which are among the leading causes of biodiversity loss. The release of reactive nitrogen also jeopardizes groundwater quality. Furthermore, the increased nitrogen availability in ecosystems as well as the application of fertilizers lead to emissions of nitrous oxide which is increasingly contributing to climate change.

Download
Series
fact sheet
Number of pages
8
Year of publication
February 2014
Author(s)
Umweltbundesamt (Hrsg.)
Language
English
File size
3530 KB
Price
0,00 €
Print version
nicht lieferbar
Article:

Tags:
 nitrogen cycle  air quality

The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.

The UBA

Contact

Wörlitzer Platz 1
06844 Dessau-Roßlau
Germany
Please send us your enquiries exclusively via the contact form.

Due to the large number of enquiries, there may be delays in responding. We ask for your understanding.


Source URL (modified on 17.02.2014):https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/publikationen/air-quality-the-nitrogen-cycle