Investigate how nitrogen impacts the environment

Nitrogen pollution is not only a contributor to climate change, but it also has direct effects on fauna. The Netherlands has one of the highest nitrogen balances in Europe, meaning it adds significantly more nitrogen to the environment than it removes. In Dutch politics, this nitrogen crisis has become an important issue. But how exactly does nitrogen impact the environment?

In the first part of this tutorial, you'll learn more about how nitrogen contributes to climate change and environmental degradation. You'll explore web apps of the Netherlands that show levels of various nitrogen compounds over time and compare them to the distribution of Dutch fauna. Once you've learned more about the subject, you'll create a story in ArcGIS StoryMaps that synthesizes your findings and presents your results. You'll conclude by evaluating your work and assessing the reliability of your research.

This tutorial was last tested on August 23, 2023.

View final result

Requirements

• Storyteller, Publisher, or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization (see options for software access)

Explore the data

First, you'll explore a map to become familiar with the study area. Then, you'll learn more about nitrogen and investigate patterns in nitrogen oxide in the Netherlands.

Become familiar with the study area

The study area for this tutorial is the Netherlands, a European country that neighbors Germany and Belgium. Much of the Netherlands' landscape is polder, or low-lying land reclaimed from the sea and protected by dikes. There are also many wide fields with cows, sheep, and crops. Agriculture is one of the primary sources of income for the Netherlands. The country is also known for its water management, with much of its land being below sea level.

You'll open a web app containing satellite imagery of the Netherlands and answer some questions about the area.

1. Open the Satellite View of the Netherlands web app.

   The app contains a map centered around the Netherlands. You'll use a bookmark to zoom closer to the area of interest.

2. Click the Open bookmarks button.

   

3. In the list of bookmarks, choose The Netherlands.

   

   The map zooms closer to the Netherlands.

   

4. Use the mouse or the navigation buttons in the app to pan and zoom around the country.

   The map includes an area labeled as Veluwe. Next, you'll explore this area.

5. In the list of bookmarks, choose The Veluwe.

   The map zooms to the area.

   

   Based on the satellite imagery, answer the following questions:

   • Question 1: What kind of landscape do you think the Veluwe is? Agricultural, forest, or city?
   • Question 2: Why do you think this area is important for this tutorial on the environmental impacts of nitrogen?

   Possible answers to the questions are listed at the end of the tutorial.

6. Close the Satellite View of the Netherlands web app.

Investigate nitrogen oxide data

Now that you've explored the study area, you'll learn more about the focus of this tutorial: nitrogen.

On its own, nitrogen is not a harmful element. In fact, it makes up about 78 percent of the air around us. However, nitrogen can form connections with oxygen resulting in nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) and hydrogen resulting in ammonia (NH₃). In large amounts, these combinations are harmful to the environment.

These connections have different origins. Nitrogen oxides primarily come from industry and traffic. Ammonia primarily comes from animal manure and agriculture.

Nitrogen pollution is a sensitive topic in the Netherlands, where the nitrogen balance is especially high. In June 2022, Dutch politicians laid out a plan to reduce nitrogen pollution in areas close to vulnerable nature by as much as 70 percent by 2030. The Dutch agricultural sector would be hit hardest by these plans, and farmers and the public have protested them.

Next, you'll explore a web app that shows concentrations of nitrogen oxide in the Netherlands.

1. Open the Nitrogen Oxide in the Netherlands 2020 web app.

   The map in this app shows the nitrogen oxide levels across the Netherlands in 2020. Darker red areas are places with higher levels of nitrogen oxide.

   

   The largest dark red area is in the southwest part of the country, which surrounds the port of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe.

2. Click the Open bookmarks button and choose Port of Rotterdam.

   

   The map zooms to Rotterdam.

   • Question 3: Why do you think the area near the port of Rotterdam shows such high levels of nitrogen oxide?
3. In the list of bookmarks, choose The Netherlands.

   The map zooms out to show the whole country.

   • Question 4: What patterns do you see in the distribution of nitrogen oxide throughout the country?
4. Close the Nitrogen Oxide in the Netherlands web app.

Compare ammonia levels over time

Now that you've explored patterns of nitrogen oxide distribution, you'll focus on another environmentally destructive nitrogen compound, ammonia. In particular, you'll compare ammonia concentrations across the Netherlands in 2012 and 2020 to see if there are any changes over time.

1. Open the Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012–2020 web app.

   This web app shows ammonia data in the Netherlands. Like with the nitrogen oxide app, darker red areas indicate higher concentrations. The boundary of the Veluwe is also shown.

   The app also contains a slider. The slider allows you to swipe between data in 2012 and 2020. By default, data from 2012 is shown.

   

   • Question 5: Only looking at the data from 2012, what can you say about ammonia concentrations in the Veluwe?
   • Question 6: What other areas, if any, stand out to you? Why?
2. Drag the slider to the right of the map.

   

   Now, ammonia data from 2020 is shown.

3. Drag the slider back and forth to compare ammonia concentrations in 2012 and 2020.
   • Question 7: How have ammonia concentrations changed between 2012 and 2020?
4. Click the Open bookmarks button and choose The Veluwe. Use the slider to compare ammonia concentrations in the Veluwe between 2012 and 2020.
   • Question 8: What changes, if any, occurred in the Veluwe during this time period?
5. Close the Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012–2020 web app.

Assess the environmental impacts

So far, you've investigated concentrations of nitrogen compounds in the Netherlands. But what effects do these concentrations have on the natural environment? You'll answer that question next.

Nitrogen is essential to plant growth and often used in fertilizers. However, too much nitrogen can cause harm. Some plants, such as wildflowers, grow best in soil with less nitrogen. In forests, younger trees can die if the soil has too much nitrogen. Meanwhile, plants that thrive in nitrogen-rich soil, such as grass and nettle, can grow in overabundance and prevent other types of plants from growing and lead to a loss of biodiversity.

Some animal species are also harmed by nitrogen pollution. Too much nitrogen in the soil causes a decrease of chalk, which many bird species require for healthy bones and eggs. Birds in areas with high levels of nitrogen develop brittle bones that break easily and lay eggs with shells that are too weak.

In this section, you'll focus on the consequences of nitrogen pollution on the grayling butterfly (Hipparchia semele). Grayling butterfly caterpillars rely on certain types of plants that have been reduced due to excess nitrogen in the environment. With less food, there have been fewer butterflies. You'll investigate a web app showing the number of occurrences of grayling butterflies across the Netherlands and compare it to ammonia concentrations.

1. Open the Grayling Butterfly Occupancy and Ammonia in the Netherlands web app.

   This map shows ammonia levels in 2012 and 2020, with a slider to compare them. It also includes a new layer that displays the change in the chance of occurrence for the grayling butterfly between 2012 and 2020. This layer appears on the map as a series of small squares. A brown square indicates a decrease of the butterfly between the two years, while a green square indicates an increase. A white square indicates no change.

   

   At the full extent of the map, it's difficult to see individual squares. Additionally, the squares only cover places where the grayling butterfly is found. One of the largest concentrations of squares is in the Veluwe, a natural wildlife location. You'll zoom to the Veluwe.

2. Click the Open bookmarks button and choose The Veluwe.

   

   Tip:

   To see the rate of change for a specific square, click the square to view its pop-up.

   • Question 9: In the Veluwe, are grayling butterfly occupancy rates increasing or decreasing? What patterns do you see?
3. Pan and zoom around the map to explore grayling butterfly occupancy rates throughout the Netherlands. Compare the occupancy rates to ammonia levels in the surrounding areas.
   • Question 10: Do you see an overall increase or decrease in grayling butterfly occurrences?
4. Close the Grayling Butterfly Occupancy and Ammonia in the Netherlands web app.

You've familiarized yourself with the study area, explored concentrations of nitrogen compounds, and compared those concentrations to changes in fauna. You've also answered several questions based on what you've seen. Next, you'll organize the results into a story in ArcGIS StoryMaps so you can present it to others.

Create a story

The maps you've explored have given you insight into nitrogen pollution and its effects on fauna in the Netherlands. Now, you want to synthesize everything you've learned into a single presentable location so you can share your findings with others.

One way to do this is with a story in ArcGIS StoryMaps. Stories combine maps, text, images, and other information to present spatial data in a meaningful way. You'll create a story that showcases all of the maps you've explored and adds relevant explanatory text.

Add the maps to your favorites

Before you start the story, you'll add the maps you explored in this tutorial to your list of favorites. Doing so will make it easier to add the maps to the story later.

While you can search for and add each map to your list of favorites individually, for convenience they have been compiled into a group so you can access them all from one page.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

2. On the ribbon, click the search button.

   

3. In the search bar, type Investigate how nitrogen impacts the environment and press Enter.

   By default, the search looks for content in your organization. You'll adjust the search settings to find the group.

4. In the list of search results, click Groups. Under Filters, unselect Only search in Your Group.

   

5. Click the Investigate how nitrogen impacts the environment group owned by Learn_ArcGIS.

   

   The group contains four items. These items are the web maps used to create the apps you explored previously.

6. Under Featured group content, for Satellite View of the Netherlands, click the Add to Favorites button.

   

   The web map is added to your account's favorites. You can access all content in your favorites by clicking Content on the ribbon and choosing My Favorites. You can search quickly for content in your favorites when you create a story.

7. Add the Nitrogen Oxide in the Netherlands 2020, Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012-2020, and Grayling Butterfly Occupancy and Ammonia in the Netherlands web maps to your favorites.

   You've now added four web maps to your favorites.

Start the story

Next, you'll start to create a story in ArcGIS StoryMaps. You'll add a few basic details to the story, such as the title and subtitle. You'll also download a collection of images that you can add to the story.

1. On the ribbon, click the apps button and choose ArcGIS StoryMaps.

   

   ArcGIS StoryMaps appears in a new tab.

2. Click New story and choose Start from scratch.

   

   The story builder launches. First, you'll give the story a title and subtitle.

3. Click Title your story and type Nitrogen pollution in the Netherlands. Click Start with a short introduction or subtitle and type The impact of nitrogen on Dutch fauna.

   

   By default, the background is white. You'll download a collection of images showing the Netherlands and use one of them as a cover image that appears above the title.

4. Download nitrogen-pollution-images.zip.
5. Locate the downloaded folder. Extract the folder to a location you can easily remember, such as your Documents folder.

   The folder contains eight images.

6. In the story, click Add cover image or video.

   

   The Add an image or video window appears.

7. Click Browse your files. Browse to and double-click dutch-landscape-2.
8. In the Add an image or video window, click Add.

   The image is added to the story.

   

Add an introduction

Next, you'll create an introduction that gives context to the study area and shows the satellite map of the Netherlands. You'll begin by adding a heading.

1. Under the title and subtitle, next to Tell your story, click the Add content block button.

   

   A menu appears with content options.

2. Under Basic, click Text.

   

   A text content block is added to the story. Formatting options for the text become available.

3. In the formatting options, click Paragraph and choose Heading.

   

4. Type Introduction to the Dutch landscape.

   Next, you'll add the map of satellite imagery you used to become familiar with the study area. You previously added this map to your favorites, so you can access it quickly.

   To add a map to the story while leaving options to include text with it, you'll add a sidecar. A sidecar is a type of content block that combines media (such as web maps) and text.

5. Point to the heading you just created and click the Add content block button. Under Immersive, choose Sidecar.

   

   The Choose a layout window appears, with options for how you want the map to appear in the story.

6. Confirm that Docked is chosen and click Done.

   An empty sidecar is added to the story.

7. In the sidecar, click Add and choose Map.

   

8. In the Add a map window, click My Favorites.

   

   The four maps you added to your favorites previously are listed.

9. Click the Satellite View of the Netherlands map.

   The Adjust map appearance window appears. You can change the map's appearance before you add it to the story.

10. If necessary, zoom closer to the Netherlands. Click Place map.

    The map is added to the story. A panel next to the map has options for adding text. You'll add text that describes the Dutch landscape and the Veluwe region.

11. Next to the map, where it says Continue your story, copy and paste the following text:

    The Dutch landscape is best known for its vast fields and flat lands. The Netherlands mostly lies below sea level and contains large amounts of land reclaimed from the sea with dikes and other forms of water management.

    Because most of the land in the Netherlands was once underwater, there are no real primeval forests. However, there are nature reserves. One important nature reserve is the Veluwe, which is labeled on the map.

    The Veluwe is crucial to nature in the Netherlands, but due to an increase in nitrogen pollution, it is beginning to experience more and more problems.

12. Optionally, write a paragraph of your own that explains your answers to Question 1 and Question 2, which you answered earlier in the tutorial.

Add the nitrogen oxide and ammonia maps

Next, you'll add text and maps to explain your findings on nitrogen oxide and ammonia pollution in the Netherlands.

1. Scroll under the sidecar you added. Next to Continue your story, click the Add content block button, and choose Text.
2. Change the text formatting to Heading and type About nitrogen oxide.

   

   Next, you'll add the nitrogen oxide map.

3. Under the About nitrogen oxide heading, click the Add content block button and choose Sidecar. In the Choose a layout window, click Done.
4. In the new sidecar, click Add and choose Map. In the Add a map window, click My Favorites and click Nitrogen Oxide in the Netherlands 2020.
5. In the Adjust map appearance window, zoom closer to the Netherlands. Click Place map.

   The map is added to the sidecar.

   

6. Next to the map, where it says Continue your story, copy and paste the following text:

   This map shows the nitrogen oxide level in the Netherlands in 2020. Darker red areas are those with higher nitrogen oxide concentrations. The largest dark red area contains the port of Rotterdam, the largest seaport in Europe.

   Though a lot can be said about the previous and current plans for the reduction of nitrogen pollution, one thing is certain: the country is dealing with levels of nitrogen oxide that are too high for the ecosystems to support.

7. Optionally, write a paragraph of your own that explains your answers to Question 3 and Question 4, which you answered earlier in the tutorial.

   You'll also add the ammonia map. You'll choose a different layout for the sidecar for this map. The layout you choose will cause the text to float over the map instead of being docked to the side. This gives the map more space on the page, emphasizing it.

8. Under the nitrogen oxide sidecar, add a new text content block. Change the formatting to Heading and type About ammonia.
9. Under the About ammonia heading, add another sidecar content block. In the Choose a layout window, click Floating.

   

10. Click Done.

    Next, you'll add a swipe to the sidecar. This way, users can swipe between the 2012 and 2020 ammonia levels, like in the app you explored.

11. At the top of the sidecar, click Add and choose Swipe.

    

    A swipe bar is added to the sidecar. The sidecar now has options to add two maps, one for each side of the swipe bar.

    

    The 2012 and 2020 ammonia concentration layers are both in the same map. You'll add the same map to both sides of the swipe bar but change layer visibility for each map so that one shows the 2012 data and one shows the 2020 data. That way, users can swipe between both datasets.

12. To the left of the swipe bar (under the Continue your story text block), click Map.

    

13. In the Add a web map window, click My Favorites and choose Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012-2020. In the Adjust map appearance window, zoom closer to the Netherlands.

    By default, data for 2012 and 2020 is displayed, with the 2020 data on top. While the 2012 data isn't visible, you'll turn it off in this map to improve loading times for users.

14. In the side panel, under All features, point to Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012 and click the visibility button to turn the layer off.

    

    The layer is turned off.

15. Click Place map.

    Next, you'll add the map again to the other side of the swipe bar, this time with the 2020 layer turned off.

16. In the sidecar, to the right of the swipe bar, click the Map button. In the Add a web map window, click My Favorites and choose Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012-2020.
17. In the Adjust map appearance window, zoom closer to the Netherlands. In the side panel, under All features, point to Ammonia in the Netherlands 2020 and click the visibility button.

    The 2020 layer is turned off.

18. Click Place map.

    Now, the user can swipe between the 2012 and 2020 layers in the sidecar.

    

19. On the map, where it says Continue your story, copy and paste the following text:

    This map contains data about ammonia concentrations in the Netherlands for the years 2012 and 2020. You can compare the two years using the swipe bar. The 2020 data is on the left and the 2012 data is on the right.

20. Optionally, write a paragraph of your own that explains your answers to Questions 5, 6, 7, and 8, which you answered earlier in the tutorial.

Add the grayling butterfly map

The last map to add is the grayling butterfly occupancy map. After you add it, you'll finish and publish the story.

1. Under the ammonia map sidecar, add a new text content block. Change the formatting to Heading and type The grayling butterfly.

   You'll add some more information about the butterfly before adding the map.

2. Under the heading, add a new text content block. Copy and paste the following text:

   The grayling butterfly is a European butterfly that lives in sand and dune areas.

   Since 1990, the species has become increasingly rare and there are even areas in the Netherlands where the butterfly has completely disappeared. It is now a protected species in many countries in Europe.

   The caterpillar of the butterfly can't stand the effects of excess nitrogen pollution. High concentrations of nitrogen oxide and ammonia have an adverse effect on the species.

   If nitrogen pollution isn't reduced, the species may struggle to survive in the future.

   Next, you'll add an image of the butterfly for context.

3. Under the text, click the Add content block button and choose Image.

   

4. In the Add an image window, click Browse your files. Browse to the extracted folder of images you downloaded and double-click grayling-butterfly-1.
5. Click Add.

   The image is added to the story. You'll change the image's position so that it appears to the side of the text, instead of under the text.

6. Point to the butterfly image. Above the image, click the Float left button.

   

   The image now floats to the side of the content. You'll reposition it to appear at the side of the text.

7. Point to the butterfly image. Next to the image, point to the Drag to reorder button.

   

8. Drag the button to move the image to the side of the text about the grayling butterfly.

   

   Next, you'll add a sidecar with the map.

9. Under the text about the butterfly, add a new sidecar content block. In the Choose a layout window, click Done.
10. In the sidecar, click Add and choose Map. In the Add a map window, click My Favorites and choose Grayling Butterfly Occupancy and Ammonia in the Netherlands.
11. In the Adjust map appearance window, zoom closer to the Netherlands. Click Place map.

    The map is added to the sidecar.

12. Where it says Continue your story, copy and paste the following text:

    This layer displays the difference in chance of occurrence for the grayling butterfly between 2012 and 2020. The brown squares show a negative change, meaning that the butterfly was in this area in 2012 but not in 2020. The green squares show an increase of the chance of occurrence of the butterfly.

13. Optionally, write a paragraph of your own that explains your answers to Question 9 and Question 10, which you answered earlier in the tutorial.

    The story is now complete. All that you have to do now is publish it.

14. On the ribbon, click Publish.

    

15. In the Publish options window, for Set sharing level, choose Everyone (Public).

    

16. Click Publish.

    The story is published. You're automatically taken to the published version of the story, with options to make further edits if necessary.

    Now that the story is completed, you'll reflect on your work, starting with the source of the data you explored.

    The data for the maps comes from two Dutch organizations; data regarding nitrogen oxide and ammonia comes from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the butterfly data comes from the Dutch Butterfly Association (De Vlinderstichting).

    • Question 11: The data sources are reliable, but is this data enough to draw conclusions about how nitrogen concentrations affect grayling butterfly occupancy? Why or why not?

    Additionally, some information isn't covered by your exploration. For instance, the butterfly occupancy data you looked at shows the chance of occurrence, rather than the occurrence, of butterflies. It is nearly impossible to gather fully accurate information about where a butterfly species is located. Just because a butterfly species isn't observed in an area doesn't mean it isn't there. The Dutch Butterfly Association used a formula to calculate the chance that no butterflies occurred in an area if they were not observed there.

    Therefore, while the data you explored is useful, it doesn't tell the full story. It can also be difficult to draw concrete conclusions from it. However, it can give you an impression of the situation and provide a direction for you to conduct further research.

Possible answers

Because the questions asked in this tutorial are open-ended, many different answers are possible. These answers indicate possible answers; your answers may differ without being incorrect.

• Question 1: The Veluwe is mostly forest, with some agriculture.
• Question 2: The Veluwe might be important because it is a large area of nature. Seeing how nitrogen pollution has affected it could help explain how nitrogen impacts the environment.
• Question 3: The port of Rotterdam has many ships that come in and out and is a large industry hub for the country. Nitrogen oxide mostly comes from industry and traffic.
• Question 4: Nitrogen oxide is primarily distributed in lines. These lines probably correspond to major highways, where there is a larger concentration of industry and traffic.
• Question 5: In 2012, ammonia concentration in the Veluwe seems to be a lot lower than in surrounding areas.
• Question 6: Other interesting areas are in the east of the country, where ammonia concentration is quite high.
• Question 7: Between 2012 and 2020, the ammonia concentration increased almost everywhere in the country. The coastal regions of the country have seen dramatic increases in ammonia.
• Question 8: The Veluwe still has relatively low ammonia concentrations. Only around the edges of the Veluwe has ammonia increased. The entire area around the Veluwe now has high ammonia concentrations.
• Question 9: In the central and northeastern parts of the Veluwe, there are more brown squares, suggesting a decrease in the grayling butterfly population. In the western part of the Veluwe, there are more green squares, suggesting an increase.
• Question 10: Overall, there seems to have been a decrease of the grayling butterfly between 2012 and 2020.
• Question 11: No, there are many other factors that could influence the occurrence of the grayling butterfly other than nitrogen oxide and ammonia levels.

You've explored nitrogen data throughout the Netherlands, answered questions about its concentrations, and organized your findings into a story. While your research was only an introduction to the complex issue of nitrogen in the Netherlands, you now have a good basis for further exploration.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• The Nitrogen Oxide in the Netherlands 2020, Ammonia in the Netherlands 2012, and Ammonia in the Netherlands 2020 layers were created from reports on the GCN concentratiekaartbestanden achterliggende jaren page of the Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu (RIVM).
• The Grayling Butterfly Occupancy in the Netherlands layer is from De Vlinderstichting and used with permission.
• The Area Veluwe layer was created by Danielle Martin based on the Imagery basemap.
• The World Countries layer is owned by Esri and licensed under the Esri Master License Agreement. The data is sourced from the National Geographic Society, the United States Central Intelligence Agency (The World Factbook), and Garmin International, Inc.
• The Nitrogen Pollution Images image collection contains eight images. The dutch-landscape-1, dutch-landscape-2, landscape-cows, and veluwe-2 images are shared under the Unsplash license. The veluwe-1 image is shared under the Pixabay license. The grayling-butterfly-1 image is by Anne Burgess and shared under the Creative Commons Attribute-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. The grayling-butterfly-2 image is by Rudolphous and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. The landscape-tulips image is by La Taupe and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
• The gallery card image is a modified version of the dutch-landscape-2 image.