Global inorganic nitrogen dry deposition inferred from ground- and space-based measurements

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) dry deposition is an important component in total N deposition. However, uncertainty exists in the assessment of global dry deposition. Here, we develop empirical models for estimating ground N concentrations using NO(2) satellite measurements from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and ground measurements from 555 monitoring sites. Global patterns and trends in the fluxes of NO(2), HNO(3), NH(4)(+), and NO(3)(−) were assessed for 2005–2014. Moreover, we estimated global NH(3) dry deposition directly using data from 267 monitoring sites. Our results showed that East Asia, the United States, and Europe were important regions of N deposition, and the total annual amount of global inorganic N deposition was 34.26 Tg N. The dry deposition fluxes were low in Africa and South America, but because of their large area, the total amounts in these regions were comparable to those in Europe and North America. In the past decade, the western United States and Eurasia, particularly eastern China, experienced the largest increases in dry deposition, whereas the eastern United States, Western Europe, and Japan experienced clear decreases through control of NO(x) and NH(3) emissions. These findings provide a scientific background for policy-makers and future research into global changes.