Ammonia Cycling and Emerging Inorganic Secondary Aerosols from Arable Agriculture

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Air quality monitoring in Ireland is under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency in compliance with the Gothenburg Protocol, EU/national legislation, and the National Clean Air Strategy. Secondary inorganic aerosols (SIAS) have been acknowledged as a key atmospheric pollutant, with serious public health impacts and no safe exposure threshold in place to date. Ammonia (NH3) emissions are linked to the secondary production of aerosols through atmospheric reactions occurring with acidic atmospheric components such as sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acid. These reactions result in the formation of ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride, among others. Approximately 98% of NH3 emissions occurring in Ireland arise from agriculture, with minor contributions from transport and natural sources. A better understanding of NH3 emissions and SIA formation can be achieved through monitoring emissions at the source level. Additionally, mitigation strategies with a more thorough understanding of NH3 dynamics at the source level and consequential SIA formation allow for more efficient action. This project monitored ambient NH3 and SIA on two selected arable agricultural sites and a control site in a rural site close to Dublin on the east coast of Ireland to establish emission levels. Meteorological factors affecting emissions and SIA formation were also measured and cross-correlated to determine micro-meteorological effects. Monitoring at the agricultural sites observed ambient NH3 concentrations ranging from 0.52 µg m−3 to 1.70 µg m−3, with an average of 1.45 µg m−3. At the control site, ambient NH3 measured concentrations ranged from 0.05 µg m−3 to 1.76 µg m−3 with an average of 0.516 µg m−3. Aerosol NH4+ ranged from 0.03 µg m−3 to 1.05 µg m−3 with an average concentration of 0.27 µg m−3 at the agricultural site. The potential effects of meteorological conditions and the implications for the effects of these emissions are discussed, with recommendations to aid compliance with the National Emissions Ceiling and the National Clean Air Strategy (Directive 2001/81/EC).