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Ammonia emissions from a Cape fur seal colony, Cape Cross, Namibia
Author(s) -
Theobald M. R.,
Crittenden P. D.,
Hunt A. P.,
Tang Y. S.,
Dragosits U.,
Sutton M. A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl024384
Subject(s) - cape , fur seal , environmental science , tonne , ecosystem , atmospheric sciences , oceanography , nitrogen , ammonia , environmental chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , zoology , ecology , geography , chemistry , geology , biology , archaeology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Large animal colonies are significant sources of atmospheric NH 3 that can potentially increase the nitrogen status of nearby ecosystems. Atmospheric NH 3 concentrations were measured at different distances from a Cape fur seal colony at Cape Cross, northwest coast of Namibia, and an atmospheric dispersion model was applied inversely to estimate the total NH 3 emission. Mean concentrations ranged from 354 to 0.01 μg NH 3 m −3 at 0.01 and 26 km from the source, respectively. The model simulations suggest that the colony emits 25–70 tonnes of NH 3 ‐N yr −1 , c. 3% of the total N excreted by the seals.