Scaling Nitrogen Effects And Management Issues From Small Watersheds To The Globe: Towards An International Nitrogen Management System
Baron, Jill 1
1 USGS, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory – Colorado State University
The alteration of the global nitrogen (N) cycle is one of the greatest global changes on Earth today. Industrial production of synthetic N fertilizers using the Haber-Bosch process is the major reason we have and can feed more than 7 billion people today. The Haber-Bosch process converts atmospheric N2 into reactive N; N not retained in the agricultural system cycles between being biologically, photochemically, and radiatively active. The N challenge is caused by the unintended consequences of reactive N released into the environment as a byproduct of food and energy production. Colorado is not exempt from the effects of excess reactive N, where effects on water quality, biodiversity, and human health are well known. I will describe how long-term research in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, has led to ongoing partnerships and policies designed to reduce the sources and damage from reactive N. The Nitrogen Footprint program and the International Nitrogen Management System will be introduced as examples for managing nitrogen at personal, institutional, and global levels.