Articles | Volume 26, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5799-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-5799-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
28 Apr 2026
Technical note |
| 28 Apr 2026
| 28 Apr 2026
Technical note: Quantifying the nitrogen isotope difference between ammonium in the atmosphere and ammonia emitted from sources
Chongguo Tian
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan, 250101, China
Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
Xuehua Yin
Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Xuena Yang
Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan, 250101, China
Xiaoxia Yu
Key Laboratory of Land and Sea Ecological Governance and Systematic Regulation, Shandong Academy for Environmental Planning, Jinan, 250101, China
Zhengjie Li
National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in Southern China, College of Biological Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
Zheng Zong
Environment Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
Xinpeng Tian
Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
Yuchen Li
Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Roland Kallenborn
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Christian Magnus Falsens vei 18, 1433, As, Norway
Yi-Fan Li
International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances (IJRC-PTS), State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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Short summary
This study explores the neglected role of atmospheric deposition in δ15N4a-3s (δ15N difference between NH4+ and source NH3), a key parameter in atmospheric NH4+ source tracing. We develop an integrated model coupling these two processes and find that the difference in δ15N4a-3s between the combined effect and the pure fractionation scenario increases with f (NH4+/NHx molar ratio). This work provides a new idea for precise NH4+ source partitioning.
This study explores the neglected role of atmospheric deposition in δ15N4a-3s (δ15N difference...
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