Integrated Modeling of U.S. Agricultural Soil Emissions of Reactive Nitrogen and Associated Impacts on Air Pollution, Health, and Climate
Agricultural soils are leading sources of reactive nitrogen (Nr) species including nitrogen oxides (NO x ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O). Here, the propensity of NO x and NH 3 to generate ozone and fine particulate matter (PM) and associated impacts on health are highly variable, whereas the climate impacts of long-lived N 2 O are independent of emission timing and location. However, these impacts have rarely been compared on a spatially-resolved, monetized basis. In this study, we update the nitrogen scheme in an agroecosystem model to simulate the agricultural emissions of Nr from across the United States. We then apply a reduced-form air pollution health effects model to assess air quality impacts from NO x and NH 3 and a social cost of N 2 O to assess the climate impacts. Assuming an $\$$8.2 million Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) and a $\$$13,100/ton social cost of N 2 O, the air quality impacts are a factor of ~7 to 15 times as large as the climate impacts in heavily populated coastal regions, whereas the ratios are closer to 2.5 in sparsely populated regions. Our results show that air pollution, health, and climate should be considered jointly in future assessments of how farming practices affect Nr emissions.