Measurements and modeling of reactive nitrogen deposition in southeast Brazil

Increased reactive nitrogen (N_r) deposition due to expansion of agro-industry was investigated considering emission sources, atmospheric transport and chemical reactions. Measurements of the main inorganic nitrogen species (NO₂, NH₃, HNO₃, and aerosol nitrate and ammonium) were made over a period of one year at six sites distributed across an area of ∼130,000 km² in southeast Brazil. Oxidized species were estimated to account for ∼90% of dry deposited N_r, due to the region’s large emissions of nitrogen oxides from biomass burning and road transport. NO₂-N was important closer to urban areas, however overall HNO₃-N represented the largest component of dry deposited N_r. A simple mathematical modeling procedure was developed to enable estimates of total N_r dry deposition to be made from knowledge of NO₂ concentrations. The technique, whose accuracy here ranged from <1% to 29%, provides a useful new tool for the mapping of reactive nitrogen deposition.