Discussion of "Atmospheric deposition as an important nitrogen load to a typical agro-ecosystem in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain" by Huang et al. (2016)

In a recent publication of Atmospheric Environment, Huang et al. (2016) reported nitrogen (N) deposition estimates using the water surrogate surface method. This method may be suitable to evaluate the atmospheric N input to a body of water, wetland or paddy fields rather than dry crop land without sustained waterlogged conditions. Such a method may also result in the potential underestimation of both dry and wet N deposition due to the release of ammonia (NH3) from water evaporation and/or N loss from biological activities, and hence bias the relative contribution of dry deposition to total deposition. Besides the uncertainties regarding the magnitude and pathways of N deposition, the statement by Huang et al. (2016) that "nitrate was the dominant species in N deposition even in cropland" is also questionable. We suggest that reduced species dominate the N deposition in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (i.e., North China Plain) even in urban and industrial regions due to the abundance of NH3. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.