The California Nitrogen Assessment : Challenges and Solutions for People, Agriculture, and the Environment

Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle, and nitrogen emissions from human activity have real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects on human health, biodiversity, and natural habitats. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly. __The California Nitrogen Assessment__ is the first comprehensive account of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California, encompassing all nitrogen flows—not just those associated with agriculture—and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles nitrogen issues will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to link science with action and to produce information that affects both future policy and solutions for addressing nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (subnational) levels. "Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle and nitrogen emissions resulting from human activity involve real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects for human health, biodiversity, and natural habitat. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly. The California Nitrogen Assessment is the first comprehensive accounting of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California; encompassing all nitrogen flows--not just those associated with agriculture--and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles issues of nitrogen will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to more effectively link science with action and to produce information that informs both future policy and solutions to nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (sub-national) levels."--Provided by publisher "Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle and nitrogen emissions resulting from human activity involve real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects for human health, biodiversity, and natural habitat. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly. The California Nitrogen Assessment is the first comprehensive accounting of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California; encompassing all nitrogen flows--not just those associated with agriculture--and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles issues of nitrogen will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to more effectively link science with action and to produce information that informs both future policy and solutions to nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (sub-national) levels."-- Résumé de l'éditeur Nitrogen is indispensable to all life on Earth. However, humans now dominate the nitrogen cycle, and nitrogen emissions from human activity have real costs: water and air pollution, climate change, and detrimental effects on human health, biodiversity, and natural habitats. Too little nitrogen limits ecosystem processes, while too much nitrogen transforms ecosystems profoundly.
 
The California Nitrogen Assessment is the first comprehensive account of nitrogen flows, practices, and policies for California, encompassing all nitrogen flows—not just those associated with agriculture—and their impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing. How California handles nitrogen issues will be of interest nationally and internationally, and the goal of the assessment is to link science with action and to produce information that affects both future policy and solutions for addressing nitrogen pollution. This book also provides a model for application of integrated ecosystem assessment methods at regional and state (subnational) levels. CONTENTS LIST OF ONLINE APPENDICES LIST OF BOXES LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES LIST OF MAPS PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS OF THE STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE LIST OF REVIEW EDITORS LIST OF SCIENTIFIC REVIEWERS COMMON ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CHEMICAL FORMULAS 1. Introducing the California Nitrogen Assessment 2. Underlying drivers of nitrogen flows in California 3. Direct drivers of California’s nitrogen cycle 4. A California nitrogen mass balance for 2005 5. Ecosystem Services and human well-being 6. Scenarios for the future of nitrogen management in California agriculture 7. Responses: Technologies and practices 8. Responses: Policies and institutions REFERENCES INDEX