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Transformación del ciclo del nitrógeno: tendencias recientes, preguntas y posibles soluciones

James N Galloway¹, Alan R Townsend, Jan Willem Erisman

¹Environmental Sciences Department, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. jng@virginia.edu

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|May 20, 2008

Resumen

Las actividades humanas están alterando drásticamente el ciclo global del nitrógeno, lo que lleva a una contaminación generalizada y desigualdades en la producción de alimentos. Abordar esto requiere estrategias integradas para reducir los residuos de nitrógeno y mejorar la distribución.

Área de la Ciencia:

Ciencias ambientales Ciencias ambientales.
Biogeoquímica La biogeoquímica es la bioquímica.
Salud de las personas Salud humana Salud humana Salud humana.

Sus antecedentes:

Las actividades humanas, incluida la combustión de combustibles fósiles y la intensificación agrícola, están acelerando el ciclo global del nitrógeno.
Las ineficiencias en el uso de nitrógeno resultan en pérdidas significativas para el medio ambiente, causando contaminación y problemas de salud.
Existen disparidades en la distribución de fertilizantes nitrogenados, lo que lleva a deficiencias en algunas regiones y excedentes en otras.

Objetivo del estudio:

Para resaltar el profundo impacto humano en el ciclo global del nitrógeno.
Para subrayar las consecuencias ambientales y de salud del nitrógeno antropogénico.
Para enfatizar la necesidad de una distribución equitativa de nitrógeno y la reducción de residuos.

Principales métodos:

Revisión de la literatura científica actual sobre el ciclo del nitrógeno.
Análisis de datos sobre la combustión de combustibles fósiles, las prácticas agrícolas y el uso industrial de nitrógeno.
Evaluación de los impactos ambientales y de salud humana asociados con la contaminación por nitrógeno.
Examen de los patrones de distribución de fertilizantes en todo el mundo.

Principales resultados:

Las actividades humanas han transformado sin precedentes el ciclo global del nitrógeno.
Las pérdidas de nitrógeno antropogénico contribuyen a la contaminación del aire, el agua y la tierra, lo que afecta a los ecosistemas y la salud humana.
La deficiencia de nitrógeno en la producción de alimentos en ciertas regiones coexiste con la contaminación generalizada por nitrógeno, lo que indica graves desigualdades de distribución.
Las actuales estrategias de manejo del nitrógeno son insuficientes para mitigar las consecuencias negativas.

Conclusiones:

Necesidad urgente de un enfoque integrado e interdisciplinario para gestionar el ciclo global del nitrógeno.
El desarrollo de estrategias para disminuir los residuos que contienen nitrógeno es fundamental.
Mejorar la eficiencia y la equidad del uso del nitrógeno es esencial para la sostenibilidad ambiental y la seguridad alimentaria.

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