Economic Trade and Atmospheric Transport in Shaping China’s Nitrogen Deposition Patterns

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in China is driven not only by local emissions but also by global economic demand and transboundary atmospheric transport. Unraveling these dual influences is critical for effective environmental governance. Here, we integrate an economic-emission analysis with a high-resolution atmospheric chemical transport model to quantify, for the first time, the distinct roles of domestic consumption, international trade, and atmospheric transport in shaping China’s nitrogen deposition patterns. We find that domestic consumption is the dominant contributor, responsible for 67.6% of the total deposition, involving a substantial interprovincial transfer of emissions from affluent coastal provinces to less developed inland regions. International trade attributes 7.8% of China’s deposition to foreign consumption, primarily driven by demand from the USA and Western Europe. In contrast, trans-national atmospheric transport directly accounts for 12.8%, with a disproportionately high impact on ecologically sensitive western China. Natural sources contribute the remaining 11.8%. Our results reveal a complex web of drivers extending beyond China’s borders. Mitigating nitrogen deposition, therefore, requires moving beyond local emission controls to embrace consumption-based accountability and enhanced international cooperation on both trade and atmospheric pollution to protect vulnerable ecosystems.