Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Nitrogen cycle: atmosphere interactions

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5832375
Atmospheric interactions involving the nitrogen species are varied and complex. These interactions include photochemical reactions, initiated by the absorption of solar photons and chemical kinetic reactions, which involve both homogeneous (gas-to-gas reactions) and heterogeneous (gas-to-particle) reactions. Another important atmospheric interaction is the production of nitrogen oxides by atmospheric lightning. The nitrogen cycle strongly couples the biosphere and atmosphere. Many nitrogen species are produced by biogenic processes. Once in the atmosphere nitrogen oxides are photochemically and chemically transformed to nitrates, which are returned to the biosphere via precipitation, dry deposition and aerosols to close the biosphere-atmosphere nitrogen cycle. The sources, sinks and photochemistry/chemistry of the nitrogen species, atmospheric nitrogen species, sources and sinks of nitrous oxide, sources, sinks and photochemistry/chemistry of ammonia, seasonal variation of the vertical distribution of ammonia in the troposphere, surface and atmospheric sources of the nitrogen species, and seasonal variation of ground level ammonia are summarized.
Research Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA (USA). Langley Research Center
OSTI ID:
5832375
Report Number(s):
N-85-14191
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English