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Human impact on the nitrogen cycle is diverse. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation. [ 1 ] As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs, the global nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) has been significantly altered over the past century. Global atmospheric nitrous oxide (N 2 O) mole ...
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation ...
Nitric oxide (nitrogen monoxide) is a molecule and chemical compound with chemical formula of N O. In mammals including humans, nitric oxide is a signaling molecule involved in several physiological and pathological processes. [ 1 ] It is a powerful vasodilator with a half-life of a few seconds in the blood.
Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula NO−3. Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. [ 1 ] Almost all inorganic nitrates are soluble in water. An example of an insoluble nitrate is bismuth oxynitrate.
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula NH4NO3. It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is predominantly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertilizer.
Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via the intermediary nitrite. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle in soil. The process of complete nitrification may occur through separate organisms [ 1 ] or entirely within one organism, as in comammox bacteria.
Nitrate levels above 10 mg/L (10 ppm) in groundwater can cause 'blue baby syndrome' (acquired methemoglobinemia). [83] The nutrients, especially nitrates, in fertilizers can cause problems for natural habitats and for human health if they are washed off soil into watercourses or leached through soil into groundwater. [84]
t. e. Eutrophication is a general term describing a process in which nutrients accumulate in a body of water, resulting in an increased growth of microorganisms that may deplete the water of oxygen. [ 1 ][ 2 ] Eutrophication may occur naturally or as a result of human actions. Manmade, or cultural, eutrophication occurs when sewage, industrial ...