Enhanced atmospheric phosphorus deposition in Asia and Europe in the past two decades

Abstract

There is increasing interest in understanding atmospheric phosphorus (P) deposition and its impacts on plant productivity and carbon sinks in ecosystems. However, the global pattern of P deposition remains poorly understood, primarily due to the sparseness of data in Asia. In this study, the authors compiled 396 published observations of atmospheric P deposition from 1959 to 2020 on the global scale. The results gave a geometric mean bulk P deposition value of 0.32 kg ha−1 yr−1, or a global P budget of 4.4 Tg yr−1. Compared with the period 1959–2000, the authors found an elevated P deposition in Europe and Asia during 2001–2020, likely due to the increasing agricultural emissions and fossil fuel combustion–related sources in addition to dust emissions. The findings highlight the need to quantify the impacts of elevated P deposition from anthropogenic emissions on long-term ecosystem development in the context of carbon neutrality and clean-air actions.摘要磷是植物生长必需的元素, 磷缺乏将限制植被生产力及碳汇功能. 为厘清全球大气磷沉降的时空格局, 本文收集了1959–2020年发表的396条观测资料. 结果发现, 全球大气磷沉降的几何均值为0.32 kg ha−1 yr−1, 全球大气磷库约4.4 Tg yr−1. 与1959–2000年相比, 近20年亚洲和欧洲大气磷沉降呈现上升趋势, 主要来源是农业活动,沙尘传输和燃烧源排放. 碳中和背景下, 清洁空气行动是否会改变磷沉降的途径和形态, 进而影响到生态系统的结构和功能, 是需要回答的科学问题.