By burning fuels we contribute large amounts of nitric oxide into the atmosphere. When this happens the gas is converted into nitrigen dioxide and nitric acid which returns to the surface as acid rain.
We contribute to the addition of nitrous oxide in our atmosphere by adding anaerobic bacteria to livestock wastes and commercial inorganic fertilizers which we apply to the soil. The gas that is released warms the troposhphere and depletes the ozone.
By destroying forests grasslands, and wetlands we release large quantities of nitrogen into the troposphere. The fourth way we affect the nitrogen cycle is by adding extra nitrates into agricultural runoff which discharges from municipal sewage systems and upsets aquatic ecosystems.
When we harvest crops that are rich in nitrogen, irrigate crops, and burn or clear grasslands we also remove nitrogen from topsoil.
By increasing the inputs of nitrogen into air, soil, and water we are paving the way for life forms to adapt and survive on nitrogen rich nutrients.
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