Microbiologists Provides Supreme Insight into the Earth's Nitrogen Cycle

Scientists from University of Alberta and University of Vienna microbiologists have recently conducted a study. Through the research the scientists observed the Earth's nitrogen cycle. As per the microbiologists there are unparalleled insights that they have found into the Earth's nitrogen cycle. Additionally, the findings have helped the scientists to identify and characterize the ammonia-oxidizing microbe, Nitrospira inopinata.

The scientists stated that Humans are now accountable for adding more fixed nitrogen, in the form of ammonium, to the environment than all natural sources combined. They have also claimed that because of the human practice, the nitrogen cycle has been identified as the most unbalanced biogeochemical cycle on the planet.

The scientists discovered that the earth's nitrogen cycle has been gone down significantly. More than that, the use of fertilizers by humans known as the Haber-Bosch process, adds enormous quantities of fixed nitrogen, or ammonium to the environment. Late effects of excess ammonium has huge environmental ramification, from dead zones in our oceans to a greenhouse gas effect, 300 times that of carbon dioxide on a molecule to molecule basis.

 By: Priyanka Negi

Content: www.sciencedaily.com