Soil ammonia emissions

Soil NH3 emission is primarily produced when NH4+ dissociates into gaseous NH3 under alkaline conditions, and soil pH and CEC are important soil factors in determining the magnitude of NH3 emissions from N fertilizer applied to agricultural soils (e.g., Nelson 1982; Francis et al. 2008). Soil NH3 emissions are a concern since they constitute a significant loss of N in agricultural soils (e.g., Nelson 1982; Francis et al. 2008) and cause soil acidification (e.g., Van der Eerden et al. 1998; Rennenberg and Gessler 1999) and eutrophication (e.g., Bobbink et al. 1992) through atmospheric deposition. Emitted NH3 is also an indirect source of N2O (e.g., Martikainen 1985).