Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preliminary15N studies on atmospheric nitrogenous trace gases

  • Biospheric Sources and Sinks of Atmospheric Trace Gases
  • Published:
pure and applied geophysics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Preliminary nitrogen isotope data for ammonia from animal urine, fuel combustion, fertilizer use and fertilizer factories have been measured or estimated. It turns out that direct nitrogen isotope measurements of atmospheric ammonia at Jülich are in the expected range calculated from the δ ranges of different sources. For deposition of atmospheric ammonium in Jülich-rain a depletion in15N with respect to atmospheric ammonia has been found which is explained by isotope fractionations during rainout and washout. In correspondence with this fractionation model are nitrogen isotope data of rain-ammonium from coastal areas, which are enriched in15N due to the fact that sea water acts as a sink for atmospheric ammonia.

For Jülich rain-nitrate a pronounced seasonal trend has been detected with lower15N data in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. This trend is interpreted by different nitrogen isotope data of anthropogenic and natural nitric oxides which have been measured or estimated from isotope fractionation effects during nitrification and denitrification reactions in soils. It should be possible to get better global estimations for anthropogenic and natural nitric oxides from nitrogen isotope measurements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bokhoven, C. andTheeuwen, H. J. (1966),Determination of the abundance of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in Dutch coals and natural gas, Nature5052, 927–929.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bremner, J. M. andTabatabai, M. A. (1973),Nitrogen-15 enrichment of soils and soil-derived nitrate, J. Environ. Quality2, 363–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, H. H., Bremner, J. M. andEdwards, A. P. (1964),Variations of nitrogen-15 abundance in soils, Sciences146, 1574–1575.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delwiche, C. C. andSteyn, P. L. (1970),Nitrogen isotope fractionation in soils and microbial reactions, Environ. Sci. Technol.4, 929–935.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feigin, A., Kohl, D. H., Shearer, G. andCommoner, B. (1974),Variation in the natural nitrogen-15 abundance in nitrate mineralized during incubation of several Illinois soils, Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc.38, 90–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyer, H. D. andAly, A. I. M. (1974),Nitrogen-15 variations in fertilizer nitrogen, J. Environ. Quality3, 405–406.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyer, H. D.,Discussions of a paper presented by Edwards, A. P., ‘Isotope effects in relation to the interpretation of 15N/14Nratios in tracer studies’, inIsotope Ratios as Pollutant Source and Behaviour Indicators (IAEA, Vienna 1975), pp. 467–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyer, H. D. andAly, A. I. M.,Nitrogen-15 studies on identifying fertilizer excess in environmental systems, inIsotope Ratios as Pollutant Source and Behaviour Indicators (IAEA, Vienna 1975), pp. 21–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freyer, H. D. (1977),15Nvalues and chemical concentrations of ammonium and nitrate in rain collected at Jülich, Germany, during 1975–1976, JÜL-Report, to be published.

  • Freyer, H. D. (1978),Seasonal trends of NH +4 and NO −3 nitrogen isotope composition in rain collected at Jülich, Germany, Tellus, in press.

  • Georgii, H. W. (1960),Untersuchungen über atmosphärische Spurenstoffe und ihre Bedeutung für die Chemie der Niederschläge, Pure appl. Geophys.47, 155–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Healy, T. V., McKay, H. A. C., Pilbeam, A. andScargill, D. (1970),Ammonia and ammonium sulfate in the troposphere over the United Kingdom, J. Geophys. Res.75, 2317–2321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoering, T. (1957),The isotopic composition of the ammonia and the nitrate ion in rain, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta12, 97–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Junge, C. E.,Air Chemistry and Radioactivity (Academic Press, New York and London 1963), 382 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohl, D. H., Shearer, G. B. andCommoner, B. (1971),Fertilizer nitrogen: Contribution to nitrate in surface water in a corn belt watershed, Science174, 1331–1334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, H. (1974),Isotopic measurements of atmospheric nitrogen compounds, Tellus26, 169–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mückenhausen, E. andWortmann, H.,Erläuterungen zur Bodenübersichtskarte von Nordrhein-Westfalen, 1:300 000 (Geologisches Landesamt Nordrhein-Westfalen, Krefeld 1958), 144 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakai, N. andJensen, M. L. (1967),Sources of atmospheric sulfur compounds, Geochem. J.1, 199–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters, M. S. (1969),Ursachen, Bedeutung und Kontrolle der Stickstoff/Sauerstoff-Verbindungen in der Luftverunreinigung, Chem. Ing. Techn.41, 593–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rennie, D. A. andPaul, E. A.,Nitrogen isotope ratios in surface and sub-surface soil horizons, inIsotope Ratios as Pollutant Source and Behaviour Indicators (IAEA, Vienna 1975), pp. 441–453.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, E. andRobbins, R. C.,Gaseous atmospheric pollutants from urban and natural sources, inThe Changing Global Environment (ed. S. F. Singer), (D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland 1975), pp. 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schalich, J. (1972),Bodenkarte von Nordrhein-Westfalen, 1:25 000, Erläuterungen zu Bl. 5004 Jülich (Geologisches Landesamt Nordrhein-Westfalen, Krefeld 1972), 96 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shearer, G. B., Kohl, D. H. andCommoner, B. (1974),The precision of determinations of the natural abundance of nitrogen-15 in soils, fertilizers, and shelf chemicals, Soil Science118, 308–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Söderlund, R. andSvensson, B. H. (1976),The global nitrogen cycle, inNitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulphur-Global Cycles. SCOPE Report 7 (eds. B. H. Svensson and R. Söderlund), Ecol. Bull. (Stockholm)22, 23–73.

  • Spindel, W. (1954),The calculation of equilibrium constants for several exchange reactions of nitrogen-15 between oxygen compounds of nitrogen, J. Chem. Phys.22, 1271–1272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistisches Jahrbuch 1975für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden. Verlag W. Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuttgart und Mainz).

  • Statistisches Jahrbuch Nordrhein-Westfalen 1975 (Landesamt für Datenverarbeitung und Statistik Nordrhein-Westfalen).

  • United Nations Statistical Yearbook 1974 (United Nations, New York).

  • Wellmann, R. P., Cook, F. D. andKrouse, H. R. (1968),Nitrogen-15: Alteration of abundance, Science161, 269–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wlotzka, F.,Nitrogen isotopes in nature, inHandbook of Geochemistry (ed. K. H. Wedepohl), (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York 1972), Vol. II/1, Chap. 7-B-2.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Research Center, Institute of Chemistry 2, 5170, Jülich, Federal Republic of Germany

    H. D. Freyer

Authors
  1. H. D. Freyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Freyer, H.D. Preliminary15N studies on atmospheric nitrogenous trace gases. PAGEOPH 116, 393–404 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636894

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01636894

Key Words

Search

Navigation