Global soil-derived ammonia emissions from agricultural nitrogen fertilizer application: A refinement based on regional and crop-specific emission factors

Ammonia (NH3) emissions from fertilized soils to the atmosphere and the subsequent deposition to land surface exert adverse effects on biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycling. The region- and crop-specific emission factors (EFs) of N fertilizer for NH3 are poorly developed and therefore the global estimate of soil NH3 emissions from agricultural N fertilizer application is constrained. Here we quantified the region- and crop-specific NH3 EFs of N fertilizer by compiling data from 324 worldwide manipulative studies and focused to map the global soil NH3 emissions from agricultural N fertilizer application. Globally, the NH3 EFs averaged 12.56% and 14.12% for synthetic N fertilizer and manure, respectively. Regionally, south-eastern Asia had the highest NH3 EFs of synthetic N fertilizer (19.48%) and Europe had the lowest (6%), which might have been associated with the regional discrepancy in the form and rate of N fertilizer use and management practices in agricultural production. Global agricultural NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer and manure in 2014 were estimated to be 12.32 and 3.79 Tg N/year, respectively. China (4.20 Tg N/year) followed by India (2.37 Tg N/year) and America (1.05 Tg N/year) together contributed to over 60% of the total global agricultural NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer. For crop-specific emissions, the NH3 EFs averaged 11.13%-13.95% for the three main staple crops (i.e., maize, wheat, and rice), together accounting for 72% of synthetic N fertilizer-induced NH3 emissions from croplands in the world and 70% in China. The region- and crop-specific NH3 EFs of N fertilizer established in this study offer references to update the default EF in the IPCC Tier 1 guideline. This work also provides an insight into the spatial variation of soil-derived NH3 emissions from the use of synthetic N fertilizer in agriculture at the global and regional scales.

Automated summary

This study quantifies the global emissions of soil NH3 from agricultural N fertilizer use and finds that south-eastern Asia has the highest NH3 EFs for synthetic N fertilizer, while Europe has the lowest. China, India, and America contribute over 60% of global agricultural NH3 emissions from synthetic N fertilizer use.