Atmospheric reactive nitrogen concentration and deposition trends from 2011 to 2018 at an urban site in north China

Abstract Atmospheric reactive nitrogen (Nr) emission and deposition have caused much damage to the global environment and also impacted human health. Determining long-term trends in atmospheric Nr concentrations and deposition is important for evaluating air quality and ecosystem effects and formulating control measures to reduce negative impacts. We measured monthly concentrations of NH3, pNH4+, HNO3, pNO3-, and NO2 and calculated their dry deposition rates using an inferential method from 2011 to 2018 at an urban site in Zhengzhou in the North China Plain. Inorganic N (NH4+ and NO3−) concentrations in precipitation and wet/bulk N deposition were also quantified in 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The results showed high concentrations of atmospheric Nr species, with considerable variation in some species over the monitoring period. Annual mean NH3 concentrations significantly increased from 2011 to 2018 (p