Where the rubber meets the road: What is needed to sustainably manage reactive nitrogen in the US?

Transcription

1 Where the rubber meets the road: What is needed to sustainably manage reactive nitrogen in the US? Jana Compton, Otto Doering, James Galloway, Stephen Jordan, William Moomaw, Anne Rea, Daniel Sobota, Thomas Theis National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN Environmental Sciences Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Gulf Breeze, FL The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, MA National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC National Research Council based at US Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 1

2 Why Nitrogen and Ecosystem Services? Nitrogen is a critical component of energy, food, and fiber production, benefiting humans in many ways. Terrestrial production Human consumption Energy production 2

3 Compton et al Ecology letters US Nitrogen (N) increase since

4 Human modification of N input 8-digit USGS Hydrologic Unit Codes Sobota et al., in press, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

5 Dominant N Sources 8-digit USGS Hydrologic Unit Codes Sobota et al., in press, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

6 The nitrogen cascade Energy production Air Ozone NOx NH3 NHx NOy Particulate matter Stratospheric N2O Greenhouse gas N2O 6 Terrestrial production Human consumption Compton et al Ecology letters Land Crop NO 3 - Groundwater Agroecosystem Soil Animal Surface water Forest & Grassland Plant Soil NHx Water NOy Coastal N2O (aquatic) N2O (terrestrial) Ocean

7 SAB: Reactive Nitrogen (*N r ) in the United States Recommendations for EPA 1. Employ an integrated approach to the management of N r 2. Utilize adaptive management & monitoring to improve cost effectiveness & lower implementation costs 3. Establish an intra-agency N r management task force 4. Convene an inter-agency N r management task force *N r includes all biologically active, chemically reactive and radiatively active nitrogen compounds 7 7

8 Galloway et al SAB found that a 25% reduction is possible with current technology 8

9 Getting to solutions 9 A new approach Bringing in sustainability and ecosystem services Extending our work as ecologists to other areas Connecting sources/sectors to impacts N reduction needs and responsibilities Policy & management Research Monitoring needs Intra-agency responsibilites

10 Triple Bottom-Line Stressors/Drivers Decisions (individual, local, regional, national) Current decision process Ecosystem Condition Integrated decision process 10 Economic values Human health and well-being Ecosystem Goods & Services

11 Clean air regulation and economic growth 11 From Dan Costa, US EPA

12 N use efficiency in the US N in Products Energy 12% Total N Fixation in Tg N Unintended 14% 13.7 Tg N Industrial products 35% Food 51% Intended 67% Natural 19% 23.3 Tg N Fiber 2% N lost to the Environment 60% of N used is lost Hydrologic N 21% NH 3 13% Denitrification or unknown 43% 12 Houlton et al. 2012, Biogeochemistry NO x 20% N 2 O 3%

13 from Compton et al Ecology Letters 13

14 Costs of abatement or mitigation 14 Compton et al Ecology letters

15 Policy & management needs Continue to improve point source controls, these have been effective (power plants, mobile source emissions, WWTP) Continued air reductions Improved wastewater treatment More efficient use and re-use of nitrogen Application of BMPs for N amount, timing, and method of application, especially for corn (USDA-ERS reports) More efficient manure handling Restoration and conservation of natural N removing areas 15 Communicate importance of personal decisions

16 Regulatory authority or incentives Energy production EPA Air Ozone Particulate matter Stratospheric N2O Greenhouse gas N2O NHx Terrestrial production Land NOx NH3 NOy??? USDA EPA Crop Agroecosystem Animal Forest & Grassland Plant Soil NHx NOy N2O (terrestrial) Human consumption 16 EPA EPA??? NO 3 - Soil USDA Surface water EPA NOAA Water Coastal N2O (aquatic) NOAA Ocean Groundwater

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18 US per capita N footprint, 2009 Average, Compared to Eating to USDA Guidelines and reducing Food Waste by 50% N footprint (kg N/cap/yr) Average USDA Recom.+1/2 Waste Goods & services Transport Housing Food energy Food production Food consumption

19 Research needs Better constraints on sources Ag N fixation CAFOs, point sources Better connection of externalities to damages, economics and ecosystem services Response functions that reflect differences in loading 19

20 % of maximum Ecosystem services response functions: nonlinearities & thresholds 100 Forest growth Northeast US Soil fertility for crops Coastal fish production Pristine Lakes Rockies Drinkable water Nitrogen loading (kg N ha -1 yr -1 ) Compton et al Ecology Letters

21 Monitoring needs Monitoring of inputs and loads Fast, cheap, mobile methods for measuring field-level losses Fertilizer data consistent annual reporting tie inputs to crop type 21

22 Monitoring responsibilities Terrestrial production Human consumption 22 Energy production EPA USDA States USGS USDA EPA Air EPA USGS Land Crop NO 3 - Groundwater Ozone?? Soil NOx Agroecosystem Animal USDA USGS Surface water USGS EPA NH3 Forest & Grassland Plant Soil NADP Castnet USGS Water NHx NOy Particulate matter NHx NOy Coastal N2O (aquatic) Stratospheric N2O Greenhouse gas N2O NOAA??? N2O (terrestrial) Ocean

23 Assessing N impacts: Metrics matter 23 Birch et al ES&T

24 Conclusions about problem Reactive nitrogen has increased greatly in last century Multiple sources and impacts Many benefits and damages to ecosystem services Damage costs are often greater than the cost to mitigate or reduce Improvements are within our reach in US 24

25 Solutions Connection of nutrient pollution to human benefits and values, using easy-to-understand units More efficient use and re-use of nitrogen Personal decisions are significant Standards, accountability and monitoring at right scales 25

26 Jana Compton, Otto Doering, James Galloway, Stephen Jordan, William Moomaw, Anne Rea, Daniel Sobota, Thomas Theis National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN Environmental Sciences Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA US Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Gulf Breeze, FL The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, MA National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC National Research Council based at US Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, OR Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 26

27 An Ecosystem Service Approach to Inform Reactive Nitrogen Management in the Lower Yakima River Basin, WA. Morgan Crowell. US EPA Student Service Contract #EP-11-D ORD. NHEERL. Region 10. WED. Oregon State University, CEOAS. Jana Compton. US EPA. ORD, NHEERL, Region 10 WED

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31 Nitrogen Removal by Major Classes of Wetlands in the Contiguous US Class Area (km 2 ) Mean Nr load (g/m 2 /yr) Mean efficiency Total Nr removal (mt/yr) Estuarine 18, ,550 Fresh marsh 105, ,746,098 Swamp 210, ,493 Total 406,270 5,803,140 Total removal is ~20% of total anthropogenic load Jordan et al. Ecosystems 2011

32 Promise for future: Chesapeake TMDL Multi-state watershed improvement plans Multiple sources are included Tracking of sources and response N delivery to Bay from Watershed (USGS)

33 Safe operating space for humanity Nitrogen cycle Biodiversity loss Rockström et al. 2009

34 Spatial distribution of current N inputs 8-digit USGS Hydrologic Unit Codes Sobota et al., in press, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment