Enhanced atmospheric phosphorus deposition in Asia and Europe in the past two decades

There is increasing interest in understanding atmospheric phosphorus (P) deposition and its impacts on plant productivity and carbon sinks in ecosystems. However, the global pattern of P deposition remains poorly understood, primarily due to the sparseness of data in Asia. In this study, the authors compiled 396 published observations of atmospheric P deposition from 1959 to 2020 on the global scale. The results gave a geometric mean bulk P deposition value of 0.32 kg ha(-1) yr(-1), or a global P budget of 4.4 Tg yr(-1). Compared with the period 1959-2000, the authors found an elevated P deposition in Europe and Asia during 2001-2020, likely due to the increasing agricultural emissions and fossil fuel combustion-related sources in addition to dust emissions. The findings highlight the need to quantify the impacts of elevated P deposition from anthropogenic emissions on long-term ecosystem development in the context of carbon neutrality and clean-air actions.

Automated summary

This study compiled global atmospheric phosphorus deposition data and found an increase in P deposition in Europe and Asia from 2001 to 2020, likely due to increasing agricultural emissions and fossil fuel combustion sources. These findings emphasize the need to quantify the impacts of elevated P deposition from anthropogenic emissions on long-term ecosystem development.