2009 James R. Arnold Lecture
sponsored by
The Division of Physical Sciences andThe California Space Grant Consortium
University of California, San Diego
May 8, 2009
Nitrogen: A Story of Food, Fuel and Fiber
Rime of the Ancient MarinerSamuel Taylor Coleridge
Water, water everywhere,And how the boards did shrink.Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.
Nitrogen: A Story of Food, Fuel and Fiber
Important Things about Nitrogen
υ Unreactive N is N2
78% of the atmosphere; no use to us
υ Reactive N (Nr) is all the other N compoundsnitrate, organic N, ammonium, etc………biologically and chemically reactive
υ All life requires nitrogenthink proteins
υ Earth has >10,000,000 biological speciesthey all need nitrogen to survive, but…..less than 1,000 species can convert N2 to Nr
υ So N is the limiting nutrient to many ecosystemssurvival is limited by availability of Nmany ecosystems do not have enough
The Main Topics
υ Nr creation through timeIncluding a most important invention
υ Nr fate during energy and food productionBy accident and on purpose
υ The Nitrogen CascadeOne thing leads to another
υ From Science to SolutionIntegrated Nr management
Are your feet's too big?A metric to determine your N footprint.
0
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6
1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025 2050
Popu
latio
n, b
illio
ns
Galloway et al., 2003
Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 200518th-19th Centuries: a time of basic discoveries about nitrogen
N-Nutrient BNF
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Popu
latio
n, b
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nsTimeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 2005
1898: World population is 1.6 billion people. In this year….
Local InterestLa Jolla population reaches
~300 people.
International InterestSpanish-American War: The
USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor, Cuba, killing 266 men. This event helps lead the United States to declare war on Spain.
Scientific InterestMarie and Pierre Curie
announce discovery of a substance they call radium.
Junk Food InterestCaleb Bradham names his soft
drink Pepsi-Cola.
Galloway et al., 2003
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Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 20051898: where did the world get its nitrogen……….
Nitrogen SourcesNatural creation
lightningBNF
Anthropogenic Miningguanonitrate deposits
Anthropogenic creationcultivationother
Galloway et al., 2003
Legumes
Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
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Galloway et al., 2003
The world is running out of N
Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 20051898: A challenge to the chemists of the world………
“England and all civilised nations stand in deadly peril of not having enough to eat. As mouths multiply, food resources dwindle.
Land is a limited quantity, and the land that will grow wheat is absolutely dependent on difficult and capricious natural phenomena... I hope to point a way out of the colossal dilemma.
It is the chemist who must come to the rescue of the threatened communities.
It is through the laboratory that starvation may ultimately be turned into plenty... The fixation of atmospheric nitrogen is one of the great discoveries, awaiting the genius of chemists.”
— Sir William CrookesPresidential Address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1898. Published in Chemical News, 1898, 78, 125.Legumes
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Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 20051908: Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch rose to the challenge.
N2 + 3H2--> 2NH3
Haber Bosch
Legumes
Galloway et al., 2003
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Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 2005What if the Haber-Bosch process had not been discovered?
N2 + 3H2--> 2NH3
Haber Bosch
Population withHaber-Bosch
Process
Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
Legumes
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Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 2005Global population would be about 50% of current.
Population withHaber-Bosch
Process
Population withoutHaber-Bosch
Process
Erisman et al., 2003
Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
Legumes
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Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 2005But, it was discovered, and much of society has greatly benefited.
Haber Bosch
Fossil Fuel
Total Nr Production• Fossil fuel combustion, 25 Tg N yr-1
• Cultivation-induced BNF, 40 Tg N yr-1
• Haber-Bosch process• Fertilizer 100 Tg N yr-1
• Industrial feedstock 23 Tg N yr-1
Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
Legumes
Total
Natural Range,terrestrial {
Take Away Message #1
For most populated regions of the world, humans create more reactive nitrogen through food and energy production than all the other biological species combined.
Haber-Bosch process was arguably the most important invention human society has ever had.
The world would be a very different place if the Haber-Bosch process was not invented 100 years ago.
Now let’s examine Nr fate during energy and food production
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Timeline of Global Nr Creation by Human Activity 1850 to 2005140 Tg Nr is created from N2 each year to produce food
Haber Bosch
Total
But People only need 13 Tg N.And they consume 30 Tg N.
Why do we create 140 Tg N?
Nr
Cre
ati
on
, Tg
N y
rN
r C
reati
on
, Tg
N y
r--11
Legumes
Fossil Fuel
Crop production:- Crop type - Cropped area - Management
Groundwater & surface waters
N inputs:
N fertilizer
& BNF
Consumed Crops
NH4+ NO3
- DON Npart
NH3 N2O NOX N2
NH4+ NO3
- DON Npart
Nitrogen: A Very Leaky Element
Atmosphere
Agriculture
20%
Oenema, 2009
And What About Meat?
Global Human Population and Meat Production
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7,000
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050
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s, m
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T
Humans, millions Beef/Veal Pig Chicken Total Meat
FAOSTAT, 2008
Crop production:- Crop type - Cropped area - Management
Consumed Animal
Products
Groundwater & surface waters
N inputs:
N fertilizer
& BNF
Animal production:- Animal species - Animal number- Management
Consumed Crops
NH4+ NO3
- DON Npart
NH3 N2O NOX N2
NH4+ NO3
- DON Npart
NH3 N2O NOX N2
Nitrogen: A Very Leaky Element
NH3 N2O NOX N2
Atmosphere
feed
Agriculture
20%
10%
Oenema, 2009
Nitrogen in Internationally Traded Fertilizer, Grain and Meat
Fertilizer, 31 Tg N
Galloway et al., 2009
Nitrogen in Internationally Traded Fertilizer, Grain and Meat
Fertilizer, 31 Tg N
Grain, 11 Tg N
Galloway et al., 2009
Nitrogen in Internationally Traded Fertilizer, Grain and Meat
Fertilizer, 31 Tg N
Grain, 11 Tg N
Meat, 0.7 Tg N
Nitrogen in Internationally Traded Fertilizer, Grain and Meat
Fertilizer, 31 Tg N
Grain, 11 Tg N
Meat, 0.7 Tg N
N Commodity Cascade: Making a Dutch Pig
M. Burke, Stanford Univ.; FAO, 2008
N Commodity Cascade: Making a Dutch Pig
M. Burke, Stanford Univ.; FAO, 2008
N Commodity Cascade: Making a Dutch Pig
M. Burke, Stanford Univ.; FAO, 2008
N Commodity Cascade: Making a Dutch Pig
M. Burke, Stanford Univ.; FAO, 2008
N Commodity Cascade: Making a Dutch Pig
M. Burke, Stanford Univ.; FAO, 2008
ENVIRONMENT
Nr
NrN2
FoodProduction
Menzel & D'Aluisio, 2005
N2 ENVIRONMENT
Nr
Nr
NrN2
EnergyProduction
FoodProduction
Menzel & D'Aluisio, 2005
Take Away Message #2
Essentially all the reactive N created is lost to the environment, where some portion accumulates in soils, waters, biomass and the atmosphere.
Meat production is growing regionally and globally,and has a profound impact on Nr creation.
International transport of N-commodities is more efficient at distributing N globally than air or water.
Now, let’s look at impact of Nr on environment
ENVIRONMENT
Too Much Nitrogen; Too Many Consequences
Smog, Haze
Eutrophication
Forest Die-back Acidification
Global WarmingOzone Hole
John Aber
ENVIRONMENT
Too Much Nitrogen: In a Cascade
Smog, Haze
Eutrophication
Forest Die-back Acidification
Global WarmingOzone Hole
John Aber
Take Away Message #3
In addition to feeding about half of the world, anthropogenic reactive nitrogen
• increases tropospheric ozone and particulate matter,• increases the acidity of soils, streams and lakes,• changes the ecosystem productivity, • increases tropospheric global warming potential,• decreases stratospheric ozone.
One nitrogen atom can contribute to each of these environmental changes, in sequence.
These changes have profound consequences for ecosystem and human health.
Now, what can be done--can the science support a solution?
From Science to SolutionThe over all goal is to optimize nitrogen’s benefits while minimizing its problems.
Produce food with minimal Nr loss to environmentProduce energy with no Nr loss to environment
StrategyBe clear about the scienceIdentify control points at both ends of Nr streamTake advantage of existing policiesLink to broader issues.
Control Points in the Nitrogen Cycle
Galloway et al, 2008
Global Nr Creation190 Tg N/yr
ENVIRONMENT
Nr
Nr
Nr
Nitrogen: The Good, the Bad, and the Difficult
1. Control Fossil Fuel Combustion2. Increase N Uptake Efficiencies in Crops & Animals 3. manage manure4. Improve Sewage Treatment
N2
N2
ENVIRONMENT
Nr
Nr
Nr
Nitrogen: The Good, the Bad, and the Difficult
1. Control Fossil Fuel Combustion2. Increase N Uptake Efficiencies in Crops & Animals3. Manage manure4. Improve Sewage Treatment
N2
N2
ENVIRONMENT
Nr
Nr
Nr
Nitrogen: The Good, the Bad, and the Difficult
1. Control Fossil Fuel Combustion2. Increase N Uptake Efficiencies in Crops & Animals 3. Manage manure4. Improve Sewage Treatment
N2
N2
Control Points in the Nitrogen Cycle
Galloway et al, 2008
Take Away Message #4
At the global scale, there are several actions that can be taken to decrease both Nr creation, and Nr losses to the environment.
• fossil fuel combustion• fertilizer uptake• feed retention• sewage treatment
If all were taken, there would be a 25% decrease in Nr loss to environment. But since most Nr is produced in the developing world, there are other factors:
• food security• poverty
Now let’s look at our feet.
The Nitrogen Footprint ModelCan be used to:
-provide people with knowledge of how their resource use results in N-related environmentalimpacts.
-provide industry with knowledge on how they can alter production practices to decrease N losses.
-provide nations with an understanding of where N is introduced, where it is lost, and how it could be managed in an integrated manner.
The doodah man, Grateful Dead
The US Nitrogen FootprintSteps Towards Development--what is consumed?
-food-energy-goods-services
--How much N is created?-is it embedded or virtual N
--Where is N released?-your watershed or someone else's
--What are the consequences?-local, regional or global.
--How should N be managed?
Overall Nitrogen Footprint Model
N Footprint Team: A. Bleeker, M. Burke, J. Erisman, J. Galloway, J. Kitzes, R. Kohn, A. Leach
N-Print: USA
Calculator is question driven
amount of different types of food consumed
size of house; heating system; sewage system
type of car; miles driven
purchase of goods (keyed to annual income)
use of services (keyed to annual income)
http://www.efseurope.co.uk/toes/images/stories/Foot.gif
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Dairy/Eggs/Fish
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Goods
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kg N
/cap
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r
Resource Use
FoodConsumption
USA Per-Capita Nitrogen Footprint
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r Food Production
Resource Use
FoodConsumption
USA Per-Capita Nitrogen Footprint
N Footprint for the US
Each person consumes 7 kg N in food per year.
Most is lost to the watershed that the person resides in.
Another ~28 kg N per year is consumed virtually by food production.
Most is lost to the watershed and airshed that other people reside in
Another ~10 kg N per year is lost to environment due to housing, mobility, and use of goods and services.
The Total N Footprint for US is ~45 kg N/person/yr
The Nitrogen FootprintCalculator Will
-calculate how much N is released to the environmentdue to their food, energy and materials consumption.
-determine where the N is released.
-to determine their contribution to the N Cascade.
-to provide management options to decrease the footprint for individuals, producers and governments
US and NL(August 2009)
NL(December 2009)
Another Aspect of N-Related Problems in the Environment
One week’s worth of food
Lots of Water (salt)Not the Right Type (fresh)
Menzel & D'Aluisio, 2005
Lots of Water (salt)Not the Right Type (fresh)
Lots of Nitrogen (N2)Not the Right Type (Nr)
The other side of the nitrogen problem,
Too little nitrogen in too many regions
Another Aspect of N-Related Problems in the Environment
Menzel & D'Aluisio, 2005
Concluding ThoughtsHumans now dominate Nr introduction into environment.There is a rapid rate of environmental change that is magnified by the N cascade.There are large parts of the world that suffer from N deficiency.There are actions that can be taken now to address nitrogen-related issues in the environment; additional actions are required.Both types of actions are stymied by the slow rate of policy response.
Nitrogen: Time to Diminish the Cascade
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