PARENT SESSION
Symposium 14: Ecological impacts of Asia on global sustainability at multiple scales
Organized by: YD Choi, S Miao, and C Peng
Wednesday, August 10, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM, Meeting Room 517 B, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Ecological impacts of nitrogen mobilization in Asia by food and energy production.
Galloway, James1, 1 University of Virginia, Charlottesville
ABSTRACT- The addition of anthropogenic nitrogen by food and energy production to the global environment contributes to the greenhouse effect, acid deposition, photochemical smog, stratospheric ozone depletion, and eutrophication of marine waters. On a global basis, anthropogenic nitrogen mobilization is greater than natural terrestrial sources of bio-reactive nitrogen. Currently Asia is a hotspot of nitrogen mobilization and distribution to downwind and downstream environments, primarily due to food production. Asia's contribution is projected to increase in the future. The challenge facing Asia and the rest of the world is how to balance the need for nitrogen in food production, against the detrimental impacts of nitrogen on human and ecosystem health.
Key words: Asia, nitrogen