Declining Nitrogen Levels in Nitrogen Rich World

Nitrogen cycle UPSC: Relevance

• GS 3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Declining Nitrogen Levels: Context

• According to a recently published report, an imbalance in nitrogen availability has been reported across the globe, thus hurting many aquatic and terrestrial life.

Declining Nitrogen Levels: Key points

• While some places have an excess of nitrogen, others have witnessed a shortage of the element.
• The issue of declining nitrogen availability, however, is not new and it has been on the scientific radar for a long time.
• Nitrogen availability has been shrinking in grasslands in central North America for a hundred years.
• Due to this reason, cattle grazing these areas have had less protein in their diets over time.
• Many forests in North America and Europe have also suffered from nutritional declines for several decades or longer due to the same reason.
• Experts have also said that tropical and boreal forests may be particularly vulnerable.

Reasons of low nitrogen level

• Plants grow quickly when exposed to high carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations. Thus, their demand for nitrogen also goes up.
• High CO2 levels dilute plant nitrogen, triggering a cascade of effects that lower the availability of nitrogen.
• Other factors include: warming and disturbances, including wildfire.

Impact of low nitrogen level

• Nitrogen is an essential nutrient. Without nitrogen, plants grow slowly and produce smaller flowers and fruits.
• Also, in the absence of nitrogen, the leaves of plants turn yellowish and are less nutritious to insects, birds and animals.
• Plants with low nitrogen levels can also encourage swarming in some species of locusts.
• Low nitrogen availability could limit plants’ ability to capture Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Impact of higher nitrogen production

• Human production of nitrogen is now five times higher than it was 60 years ago.
• Excessive nitrogen accumulates in the streams, inland lakes and coastal bodies of water. It could sometimes result in eutrophication, leading to harmful alsgal blooms, dead zones and fish kills.
• In humans, high levels of nitrogen in the groundwater are linked to intestinal cancers and miscarriages and can be fatal for infants.

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