Nitrogen management policies urgently needed

This report details several research initiatives supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) across the Americas. These projects focus on the intersection of environmental science and public policy, addressing nitrogen cycling, tropical dry forest conservation, climate services for agriculture, freshwater ecosystem risks, malaria transmission in the Amazon, water security in arid regions, oceanic carbon sequestration, the impact of highways on zoonotic diseases, and urban hydrological vulnerability.

• Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers in Latin America leads to soil degradation and water pollution, necessitating immediate policies to maintain "the health of soils and an adequate nutrient balance".
• In South America, only 20 per cent of wastewater is treated; without increasing the number and improving the quality of treatment plants, coastal nitrogen levels are projected to triple by 2050.
• The Patagonian Sea acts as a significant CO2 reservoir, with the Southern Ocean absorbing carbon dioxide via biological processes involving phytoplankton, anchovies, hakes, and calamari.
• The construction of the 2,600-kilometer Peru-Brazil Inter-Oceanic Highway between 2002 and 2011 has altered wild rodent population dynamics, increasing the risk of rodent-borne diseases. A study of 97 rodents found 78% were positive for Bartonella bacteria and 24% for Leptospira.
• In the Argentinian Chaco, the replacement of woods with annual crops has resulted in a loss of 40% of carbon in the highest soil layer (up to 1m depth) and a loss of 66mg of carbon per hectare of biomass on the surface.
• A computer model for the western Amazon demonstrated that eliminating larvae sources for mosquitoes in an area exceeding 200 meters around settlements can cause malaria to disappear.
• Emergency drought drills in Chiquimula, Guatemala, revealed significant institutional weaknesses in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA), including communication failures between departments and high employee turnover.
• Phytoplankton in the oceans provide a critical ecosystem service by producing half of the planet's available oxygen and absorbing approximately one-third of global CO2 emissions.

APA

Ometto, J. P. (n.d.). Nitrogen management policies urgently needed. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/ProjectBriefs_CRN3_en.pdf

Chicago

Ometto, Jean Pierre. Nitrogen management policies urgently needed. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, n.d. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/ProjectBriefs_CRN3_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ometto |first1=Jean Pierre |title=Nitrogen management policies urgently needed |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/ProjectBriefs_CRN3_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{omettondnitrogen, author = {Ometto, Jean Pierre}, title = {{Nitrogen management policies urgently needed}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/ProjectBriefs_CRN3_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }