Denitrification

denitrification

1. The conversion of nitrite or nitrate to gaseous end products NO, N₂O, and N₂ by denitrifying bacteria.

   
   

   Molecular nitrogen, N₂, is the most abundant end product. The oxidized forms of N (nitrate, nitrite, nitric acid, nitric oxide, and nitrous oxide) serve as alternative electron acceptors in the absence of sufficient oxygen; thus, denitrification is primarily an anaerobic process.

   
   
2. The removal of active nitrogen from the atmosphere through uptake into particles.

   
   

   The term is particularly used in context with the irreversible uptake of nitric acid into ice clouds (polar stratospheric clouds) in the antarctic stratospheric vortex. This reduction in the level of active nitrogen allows ozone depletion by chlorine oxides to occur unchecked.

   
   

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(Also known as odd nitrogen species.) Reactive forms of nitrogen comprising nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO₂; usually designated by [[NO_x]].
These oxides of are responsible for ozone formation in the troposphere and play a major part in ozone loss in the stratosphere. The major sources of active nitrogen in the atmosphere are combustion, soil emissions, lightning, and the reaction of nitrous oxide with excited oxygen atoms in the stratosphere.