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Nitrogen and Climate Change pp 125–143Cite as

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Marine Nitrogen and Climate Change

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Abstract

The three primary routes for entry of reactive nitrogen into the marine environment are in run-off from the land1, as deposition from the atmosphere2, and via nitrogen-fixing microbes, such as the cyanobacteria, in surface waters3. Run-off from land dominates inputs to most coastal waters, with atmospheric deposition and nitrogen fixation being more important in the open ocean. The world’s rivers are estimated to supply over 20 million tonnes of inorganic nitrogen to estuaries and oceans each year, with three-quarters of this now being from human sources such as fertiliser and sewage4. A further 140 million tonnes of nitrogen enters the marine environment through nitrogen fixation, and around 50 million tonnes is deposited directly from the atmosphere in rain, snow and dust.

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  1. University of Edinburgh, UK

    Dave Reay (Professor of Carbon Management and Assistant Principal, Global Environment & Society)

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© 2015 Dave Reay

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Reay, D. (2015). Marine Nitrogen and Climate Change. In: Nitrogen and Climate Change. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137286963_9

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