Question

How do humans impact the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 1

Human's impact on nitrogen cycle:

1. Human activities such as manufacturing fertilizers and burning fossil fuels have greatly altered the amount of fixed nitrogen in Earth's ecosystems.
2. According to some estimates, human activities will fix more nitrogen than microbiological processes by 2030.
3. For example, vehicular pollution has raised worldwide concentrations of N2O, a powerful greenhouse gas, in recent decades.
4. Cars and power plants create nitrogen oxides, which are one of the main precursors to particulate matter, a type of air pollution.
5. These microscopic particles can enter our lungs and cause tissue damage, which can lead to a variety of health concerns.
6. The acidity of the air is lowering due to rising quantities of ammonia pollution.
7. Certain ecosystems, such as peat bogs, rely on slightly acidic air.
8. This issue is affecting the destruction of sphagnum peat moss bogs in Northern Ireland, which are a key carbon sink.