Microbes emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx. This is important because it involves surface-earth nitrogen (N) cycle, which strongly interacts with environmental quality, food production, biosphere and climate changes. A study led by Drs. Wei Song and Xue-Yan Liu from Tianjin University, China, shows that NOx emissions from the microbial N cycle account for about 24%, 58%, and 31% of the total NOx emissions in the land, ocean, and globe, equivalent to 0.5, 1.4, and 0.6 times of the corresponding fossil fuel NOx emissions. This study fills the data gap of NOx emissions from microbial N cycle in the ocean and updates fluxes of NOx emissions from microbial N cycle in the land and globe. “We confirm the significant contribution of microbial N cycle to global NOx emissions. It should be considered into current and future atmospheric NOx emission reduction policy formulation and eco-environmental and climatic effects assessment,” Liu says.
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Source: Phys.org