The Nitrogen Cycle and Climate

Abstract

The nitrogen cycle is described, together with its denitrification and nitrification processes, including the Anammox process. The importance of human intervention through the Haber–Bosch process is shown by identifying the tremendous growth of agricultural food production for a growing world population. The processes of emission of nitrous oxide from the ocean and land are described. The role of reactive nitrogen in cascading through land water into the ocean, where it provides eutrophication in coastal areas, is also described, as is the role of nitrogen in aerosol formation. The geological record of nitrogen cycling is then discussed in relation to Earth’s oxygenation. The impact of nitrogen on the carbon cycle is also discussed.