Modeling the Source Sectors Contribution to Nitrogen Deposition in United States
Sharmin Akter1, Michael Crowl2 and Kristina Wagstrom3
The excessive deposition of atmospheric nitrogen containing species to aquatic systems and watersheds can lead to harmful algae growth and loss of biodiversity, particularly in coastal waterways. It increases the risk of acidification and hypoxia by reducing oxygen levels for living organisms in marine environments. It is important to determine the major species, source sectors, and source regions responsible for atmospheric nitrogen deposition to develop effective watershed management systems. We use the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) version 6.0, along with the Particulate Matter Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT), to identify and separate source sector contributions to atmospheric nitrogen deposition. We model the amount of atmospheric nitrogen deposition from different source sectors such as electricity generating units, biogenic emissions, area fugitive dust, on-road non-refueling, on-road refueling, residential wood combustion, agricultural emissions, non-point source oil and gas, point source oil and gas, fires, non-road mobile equipment sources, marine vessels and locomotives, and other non-point sources in the contiguous United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. We use emissions, meteorology, boundary conditions, and ozone column inputs from the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s 2011 Modeling Platform. We evaluate the wet and dry deposited mass of atmospheric nitrogen containing species against measurements. This information will aid environmental regulators in developing watershed management plans to protect the health of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
1Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, sharmin.akter@uconn.edu 2Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, mgcrowl@gmail.com 3Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, kristina.wagstrom@uconn.edu