nitrogen
Newsletter
Climate change affects nutrient cycles in Alpine ecosystems
A recent study reveals that climate change is severely disrupting nutrient retention in alpine ecosystems, particularly impacting the nitrogen cycle vital for plant and soil health.
In short:
- Alpine regions are experiencing enhanced warming, resulting in decreased snow cover and increased shrub migration, affecting the ecosystems' ability to retain nutrients like nitrogen.
- Seasonal dynamics are crucial; disruptions in spring and autumn significantly diminish nitrogen uptake by plants, impacting overall ecosystem health.
- Experiments in the Austrian Alps have demonstrated how altered snow patterns and shrub growth negatively influence the nitrogen cycle.
Key quote:
“[The study] really added to the literature, arguing that it’s really important to understand the interaction among the different elements of an ecosystem and what the effects of climate change will be.”
— Olivier Dangles, author of Climate Change on Mountains.
Why this matters:
Alpine ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots and serve as home to species uniquely adapted to cold environments. As the climate warms, these species face increased risk of extinction if their habitat changes too quickly for them to adapt. In addition, A reduced snow cover and altered precipitation patterns could lead to water shortages, affecting agriculture, drinking water supplies and hydroelectric power generation.
People are flocking to see melting glaciers before they're gone—bringing both benefit and harm.
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Nitrogen pollution threatens US drinking water
A new study warns that nitrogen pollution is increasingly jeopardizing the quality and availability of drinking water in the United States.
In short:
- Scientists predict that nitrogen pollution could contaminate a third of the world's drinking water by 2025, affecting up to 3 billion people.
- The U.S., South China, Central Europe, and Africa are identified as potential hotspots for water scarcity due to nitrogen pollution.
- The study emphasizes the need for urgent action in water resource management, considering both water quantity and quality.
Key quote:
"We are surprised that water pollution by nitrogen aggravates water scarcity in more than one-fifth of the sub-basins worldwide."
— Mengru Wang, assistant professor at Wageningen University & Research.
Why this matters:
This issue highlights a critical environmental challenge, where water scarcity and pollution intersect, potentially impacting billions. It underscores the importance of addressing water quality in policy decisions, especially in the context of climate change and urbanization.
In one Montana ag basin, drinking wells test at twice the federal health standard for nitrate pollution. That's a problem on many levels.
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Agricultural nitrogen pollution is global threat, but circular solutions await
Carbon dioxide is just one of several powerful greenhouse gases destabilizing the global climate, and just one of the human-produced pollutants severely impacting the natural world and threatening to push Earth out of its current habitable state.
Colorado rewrites new ozone reduction plan
Colorado’s oil and gas industry will need to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog along the Front Range, under new rules that state air-pollution regulators are calling a bold plan.
Minnesota's burgeoning fertilizer problem
Minnesota’s water supply continues to be contaminated by fertilizer due to lackluster regulations and climate change.
Some squirmy stowaways got to the Arctic. And they like it there
The unexpected presence of earthworms in the Far North could cause rapid changes in some of the planet’s most fragile ecosystems.
New era begins for ‘dead zone’ tracking in Chesapeake Bay
The main objective is to give Bay scientists a clearer understanding of where and when low-oxygen conditions occur.
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