Scientists claim that Nitrous Oxide[N2O], popularly known as "laughing gas", is being released in the environment by a number of species of bacteria.
Nitrous Oxide, a greenhouse gas,emissions are a problem that requires urgent attention and needs to be dealt more seriously according to Prof. David Richardson[ University of East Anglia,Norwich,UK ].According to the Prof., Nitrous Oxide makes up only 9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions,majors being carbondioxide and methane,but it has 300 times more global warming potential than the majors. The reason being N2O can survive for nearly 150 years in the atmosphere, and hence it has been recognized in the Kyoto Protocol as one of the major greenhouse gases that needs urgent attention.
The major areas of its emission are from waste treatment plants and agriculture. Its emissions are increasing at the rate of 0.25% every year.
The main reason for such a many-fold increase in the emission is that many species of bacteria, infesting the marshy areas like municipal sewage treatment plants,landfill sites,etc, are able to switch over to using nitrates for their own respiration in the absence of oxygen or low levels of oxygen due to increase in their population in a relatively small area. This process of 'denitrification' releases N2O in huge quantities. Researchers are now trying to understand the significant environmental variables that make the different species of bacteria release N2O in such enduring quantities .According to Prof. Richardson "Global warming affects everybody, and understanding the biology of N2O emissions will provide for an important step in mitigating their impact."
We are now in urgent need of developing better strategies to control the N2O emissions otherwise it may prove to be a graver problem later in the 21st century, for us, for our children and for our grandchildren.
Nitrous Oxide, a greenhouse gas,emissions are a problem that requires urgent attention and needs to be dealt more seriously according to Prof. David Richardson[ University of East Anglia,Norwich,UK ].According to the Prof., Nitrous Oxide makes up only 9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions,majors being carbondioxide and methane,but it has 300 times more global warming potential than the majors. The reason being N2O can survive for nearly 150 years in the atmosphere, and hence it has been recognized in the Kyoto Protocol as one of the major greenhouse gases that needs urgent attention.
The major areas of its emission are from waste treatment plants and agriculture. Its emissions are increasing at the rate of 0.25% every year.
The main reason for such a many-fold increase in the emission is that many species of bacteria, infesting the marshy areas like municipal sewage treatment plants,landfill sites,etc, are able to switch over to using nitrates for their own respiration in the absence of oxygen or low levels of oxygen due to increase in their population in a relatively small area. This process of 'denitrification' releases N2O in huge quantities. Researchers are now trying to understand the significant environmental variables that make the different species of bacteria release N2O in such enduring quantities .According to Prof. Richardson "Global warming affects everybody, and understanding the biology of N2O emissions will provide for an important step in mitigating their impact."
We are now in urgent need of developing better strategies to control the N2O emissions otherwise it may prove to be a graver problem later in the 21st century, for us, for our children and for our grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment