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| Home » Air Pollution » Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
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Nitrous Oxide (N2O) |
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Nitrous oxide or N2O is colorless and nearly odorless gas. It is a highly potent greenhouse gas. Global warming potential of nitrous oxide per mole is around 300 times greater than carbon dioxide.
N2O has seen a substantial rise in volume over last century. There are anthropogenic as well as natural causes for its increases. Substantial portions of global marine N2O in flux occur from coastal regions and estuarine regions. Gas chromatography has been used for measuring this kind of emissions. Nitrogenous fertilizers are widely used in agriculture for augmenting crop yields. However, this leads to atmospheric emissions of nitrous oxide. These emissions occur via water and soil through processes known as denitrification and nitrification. The ill effects of nitrous oxide occur via two main routes. Firstly it absorbs atmospheric infrared radiation and causes atmospheric warming. Here too, it is the quantity of these gases, which matter. Since a large volume of greenhouse gases builds up global temperature way above what is needed for sustenance of life form. Secondly, nitrous oxide can also form NO (nitric oxide
) via its combination with oxygen. This chemical compound is capable of substantial ozone depletion. As per an estimate, N2O accounts for around 5% of global radiative force. Thus nitrous oxide is responsible for global climate change, which is a critical issue of concern. This entails close monitoring and control of usage of this chemical compound via various international rules and regulations. Anthropogenic factors affecting nitrous oxide emissions from use of fertilizers include following.
- Type of fertilizer used
- Amount of fertilizer used
- Technique of fertilizer application
- Timing of fertilizer application
- Tillage practices
- Chemical use
- Irrigation practices
- Type of vegetation
- Soil residual nitrogen
Cultivation of leguminous crops also releases substantial levels of nitrous oxide into atmosphere.
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