skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Production and application of manure nitrogen and phosphorus in the United States since 1860
Abstract. Livestock manure nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) play an importantrole in biogeochemical cycling. Accurate estimation of manure nutrient isimportant for assessing regional nutrient balance, greenhouse gas emission,and water environmental risk. Currently, spatially explicit manure nutrientdatasets over a century-long period are scarce in the United States (US).Here, we developed four datasets of annual animal manure N and P productionand application in the contiguous US at a 30 arcsec resolution overthe period of 1860–2017. The dataset combined multiple data sourcesincluding county-level inventory data as well as high-resolution livestockand crop maps. The total production of manure N and P increased from 1.4 Tg N yr−1 and 0.3 Tg P yr−1 in 1860 to 7.4 Tg N yr−1 and 2.3 Tg P yr−1 in 2017, respectively. The increasing manure nutrient productionwas associated with increased livestock numbers before the 1980s andenhanced livestock weights after the 1980s. The manure application amountwas primarily dominated by production, and its spatial pattern was impactedby the nutrient demand of crops. The intense-application region mainlyenlarged from the Midwest toward the southern US and became moreconcentrated in numerous hot spots after the 1980s. The South Atlantic–Gulf and Mid-Atlantic basins were exposed to high environmental risks due to theenrichment of manure nutrient production and application from the 1970s tothe period of 2000–2017. Our long-term manure N and P datasets providedetailed information for national and regional assessments of nutrientbudgets. Additionally, the datasets can serve as the input data forecosystem and hydrological models to examine biogeochemical cycles interrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Datasets are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919937 (Bian etal., 2020).  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1903722
PAR ID:
10255458
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Earth System Science Data
Volume:
13
Issue:
2
ISSN:
1866-3516
Page Range / eLocation ID:
515 to 527
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Earth System Science Data)
    Abstract. Excessive anthropogenic nitrogen (N) inputs to the biosphere have disruptedthe global nitrogen cycle. To better quantify the spatial and temporalpatterns of anthropogenic N inputs, assess their impacts on thebiogeochemical cycles of the planet and the living organisms, and improvenitrogen use efficiency (NUE) for sustainable development, we have developeda comprehensive and synthetic dataset for reconstructing the History ofanthropogenic Nitrogen inputs (HaNi) to the terrestrial biosphere. The HaNi datasettakes advantage of different data sources in a spatiotemporally consistentway to generate a set of high-resolution gridded N input products from thepreindustrial period to the present (1860–2019). The HaNi dataset includes annual ratesof synthetic N fertilizer, manure application/deposition, and atmospheric Ndeposition on cropland, pasture, and rangeland at a spatial resolution of5 arcmin × 5 arcmin. Specifically, the N inputs are categorized, according to the Nforms and land uses, into 10 types: (1) NH4+-N fertilizer applied to cropland,(2) NO3--N fertilizer applied to cropland, (3) NH4+-N fertilizer applied to pasture,(4) NO3--N fertilizer applied to pasture, (5) manure N application oncropland, (6) manure N application on pasture, (7) manure N deposition onpasture, (8) manure N deposition on rangeland, (9) NHx-N deposition, and(10) NOy-N deposition. The total anthropogenic N (TN) inputs to globalterrestrial ecosystems increased from 29.05 Tg N yr−1 in the 1860s to267.23 Tg N yr−1 in the 2010s, with the dominant N source changing fromatmospheric N deposition (before the 1900s) to manure N (in the 1910s–2000s)and then to synthetic fertilizer in the 2010s. The proportion of syntheticNH4+-N in fertilizer input increased from 64 %in the 1960s to 90 % in the 2010s, while synthetic NO3--N fertilizerdecreased from 36 % in the 1960s to 10 % in the 2010s. Hotspots of TNinputs shifted from Europe and North America to East and South Asia duringthe 1960s–2010s. Such spatial and temporal dynamics captured by the HaNidataset are expected to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the coupledhuman–Earth system and address a variety of social welfare issues, such as theclimate–biosphere feedback, air pollution, water quality, and biodiversity. Thedata are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.942069(Tian et al., 2022). 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Earth System Science Data)
    Abstract. Nutrient budgets help to identify the excess or insufficient use of fertilizers and other nutrient sources in agriculture. They allow for the calculation of indicators, such as the nutrient balance (surplus if positive or deficit if negative) and nutrient use efficiency, that help to monitor agricultural productivity and sustainability across the world. We present a global database of country-level budget estimates for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) on cropland. The database, disseminated in FAOSTAT, is meant to provide a global reference, synthesizing and continuously updating the state of the art on this topic. The database covers 205 countries and territories, as well as regional and global aggregates, for the period from 1961 to 2020. Results highlight the wide range in nutrient use and nutrient use efficiencies across geographic regions, nutrients, and time. The average N balance on global cropland has remained fairly steady at about 50–55 kg ha−1 yr−1 during the past 15 years, despite increasing N inputs. Regional trends, however, show recent average N surpluses that range from a low of about 10 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in Africa to more than 90 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in Asia. Encouragingly, average global cropland N use efficiency decreased from about 59 % in 1961 to a low of 43 % in 1988, but it has risen since then to a level of 55 %. Phosphorus deficits are mainly found in Africa, whereas potassium deficits occur in Africa and the Americas. This study introduces improvements over previous work in relation to the key nutrient coefficients affecting nutrient budgets and nutrient use efficiency estimates, especially with respect to nutrient removal in crop products, manure nutrient content, atmospheric deposition and crop biological N fixation rates. We conclude by discussing future research directions and highlighting the need to align statistical definitions across research groups as well as to further refine plant and livestock coefficients and expand estimates to all agricultural land, including nutrient flows in meadows and pastures. Further information is available from https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.hx3ffbgkh (Ludemann et al., 2023b) as well as the FAOSTAT database (https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/ESB; FAO, 2022a) and is updated annually. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Agronomy)
    null (Ed.)
    As pressure on the dairy industry to reduce its environmental impact increases, efficient recycling of manure nutrients through local cropping systems becomes crucial. The aim of this study was to calculate annual nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) budgets in six counties located in the Magic Valley, Idaho and estimate what distance manure would need to be transported to be in balance with crop nutrient demand given current dairy cattle populations and cropping systems. Our analysis suggests that crop N needs will not be met solely by manure, and synthetic fertilizer will need to be applied. However, to balance P with crop production, manure would need to be transported a minimum of 12.9 km from dairies and would have to replace synthetic fertilizer P on 91% of regional cropland. Education of producers and technical specialists would be necessary to improve the management of manure use in regional cropping systems. Technical solutions such as alternative diets for cattle and nutrient capture from manure streams will also likely be necessary to bring regional P into balance to protect environmental quality and improve the sustainability of the regional dairy industry. 
    more » « less
  4. ; (, Biogeosciences)
    Abstract. Coupled physical–biogeochemical models can fill thespatial and temporal gap in ocean carbon observations. Challenges ofapplying a coupled physical–biogeochemical model in the regional oceaninclude the reasonable prescription of carbon model boundary conditions,lack of in situ observations, and the oversimplification of certainbiogeochemical processes. In this study, we applied a coupledphysical–biogeochemical model (Regional Ocean Modelling System, ROMS) to theGulf of Mexico (GoM) and achieved an unprecedented 20-year high-resolution(5 km, 1/22∘) hindcast covering the period of 2000 to 2019. Thebiogeochemical model incorporated the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon(DOC) pools and the formation and dissolution of carbonate minerals. Thebiogeochemical boundaries were interpolated from NCAR's CESM2-WACCM-FV2solution after evaluating the performance of 17 GCMs in the GoM waters. Modeloutputs included carbon system variables of wide interest, such aspCO2, pH, aragonite saturation state (ΩArag), calcitesaturation state (ΩCalc), CO2 air–sea flux, and carbon burialrate. The model's robustness is evaluated via extensive model–datacomparison against buoys, remote-sensing-based machine learning (ML)products, and ship-based measurements. A reassessment of air–sea CO2flux with previous modeling and observational studies gives us confidencethat our model provides a robust and updated CO2 flux estimation, andNGoM is a stronger carbon sink than previously reported. Model resultsreveal that the GoM water has been experiencing a ∼ 0.0016 yr−1 decrease in surface pH over the past 2 decades, accompanied by a∼ 1.66 µatm yr−1 increase in sea surfacepCO2. The air–sea CO2 exchange estimation confirms in accordance with severalprevious models and ocean surface pCO2 observations that theriver-dominated northern GoM (NGoM) is a substantial carbon sink, and theopen GoM is a carbon source during summer and a carbon sink for the rest ofthe year. Sensitivity experiments are conducted to evaluate the impacts ofriver inputs and the global ocean via model boundaries. The NGoM carbonsystem is directly modified by the enormous carbon inputs (∼ 15.5 Tg C yr−1 DIC and ∼ 2.3 Tg C yr−1 DOC) from theMississippi–Atchafalaya River System (MARS). Additionally,nutrient-stimulated biological activities create a ∼ 105 timeshigher particulate organic matter burial rate in NGoM sediment than in thecase without river-delivered nutrients. The carbon system condition of theopen ocean is driven by inputs from the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatan Channeland is affected more by thermal effects than biological factors. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; (, AGU Advances)
    Abstract U.S. rice paddies, critical for food security, are increasingly contributing to non‐CO2greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Yet, the full assessment of GHG balance, considering trade‐offs between soil organic carbon (SOC) change and non‐CO2GHG emissions, is lacking. Integrating an improved agroecosystem model with a meta‐analysis of multiple field studies, we found that U.S. rice paddies were the rapidly growing net GHG emission sources, increased 138% from 3.7 ± 1.2 Tg CO2eq yr−1in the 1960s to 8.9 ± 2.7 Tg CO2eq yr−1in the 2010s. CH4, as the primary contributor, accounted for 10.1 ± 2.3 Tg CO2eq yr−1in the 2010s, alongside a notable rise in N2O emissions by 0.21 ± 0.03 Tg CO2eq yr−1. SOC change could offset 14.0% (1.45 ± 0.46 Tg CO2eq yr−1) of the climate‐warming effects of soil non‐CO2GHG emissions in the 2010s. This escalation in net GHG emissions is linked to intensified land use, increased atmospheric CO2, higher synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and manure application, and climate change. However, no/reduced tillage and non‐continuous irrigation could reduce net soil GHG emissions by approximately 10% and non‐CO2GHG emissions by about 39%, respectively. Despite the rise in net GHG emissions, the cost of achieving higher rice yields has decreased over time, with an average of 0.84 ± 0.18 kg CO2eq ha−1emitted per kilogram of rice produced in the 2010s. The study suggests the potential for significant GHG emission reductions to achieve climate‐friendly rice production in the U.S. through optimizing the ratio of synthetic N to manure fertilizer, reducing tillage, and implementing intermittent irrigation. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email