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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #397704
Research Project: Developing Agronomically and Environmentally Beneficial Management Practices to Increase the Sustainability and Safety of Animal Manure Utilization

Location: Food Animal Environmental Systems Research

Title: Investigations into agricultural influences on nitrogen and sulfur in the atmosphere

Author
item Silva, Philip - Phil
item NEE, MATTHEW - Western Kentucky University
item PURVIS-ROBERTS, KATIE - Claremont Colleges
item VAN ROOY, PAUL - University Of California, Riverside
item COCKER III, DAVID - University Of California, Riverside

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/28/2022
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: New focus has been place on nitrogen and sulfur emissions from agriculture and their potential influence on local and regional deposition. Here we describe field and laboratory measurements aimed at understanding the presence and of and interaction between nitrogen and sulfur compounds from agricultural operations to the atmosphere. Measurements at a number of poultry, swine, and dairy operations have been conducted. While ammonia is always high near source (part per million levels) the presence of amines is variable and there are indications that organic nitrogen may vary dependent on animal species. Sulfur concentrations vary dramatically from one operation to another and are strongly related to the waste handling methods, with hydrogen sulfide present in highest concentration but organic sulfides important at times. In parallel with field work, chamber experiments investigating interactions of nitrogen and sulfur have been conducted. In these experiments, nitrogen and sulfur gaseous compounds from agriculture are exposed to atmospheric oxidation. Though ammonia is normally thought of as the main agricultural contributor to aerosol formation via reaction with urban and industrial sulfate and nitrate, our experiments show that the amines and reduced organic sulfur compounds have aerosol formation potential. These experiments suggest that modeling of agriculture influences to particulate matter and both wet and dry deposition should be performed looking more at the aggregate whole than just focusing on ammonia mixing with other air masses.