Prodigious quantities of nitrogen from human waste flow into coastal waters, a study of nearly 135,000 watersheds reveals.
Nitrogen cycling
Posted inEditors' Highlights
What Controls Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Rivers?
Statistical and numerical models show that denitrification efficiency is a key parameter controlling the production of N2O from rivers, providing a target for river restoration projects.
Posted inNews
Purple Bacteria Fix Nitrogen in Proterozoic-Analogue Lake
A new study challenges the assumption that cyanobacteria were the only major nitrogen fixers in the Proterozoic eon.
Posted inNews
Index Suggests That Half of Nitrogen Applied to Crops Is Lost
Food production is becoming less efficient at using nitrogen fertilizer, according to a review of global values. Excess nitrogen damages the environment and the climate.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Roadside Ditches Are Effective at Nitrogen Removal
Researchers compared the nitrogen removal potential by microbes in ditches that drained forested, urban, and agricultural lands and discovered that roadside ditches are important areas for removing nutrients.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A Well-Balanced Ecosystem Uses Water Most Efficiently
Excess of a single nutrient, such as nitrogen, may boost plant productivity, but the imbalance leads to less efficient water use as plants scramble for the nutrients they lack.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tracking Excess Nitrogen with Freshwater Mussels
Mussel shell periostracum and carbonate bound organic matter document seasonal variability in the isotopic composition of riverine suspended particulate organic matter.
Posted inNews
Turf’s Dirty Little Secret
Greenhouse gas emissions from sports fields may be scoring points for climate change.
Posted inNews
Half of Earth’s Nitrogen May Be Homegrown
A new analysis of iron meteorites reveals a distinct isotopic signature that suggests nitrogen was present around early Earth.