The Human Impacts Database

A collection of useful numbers for quantifying the impacts of the human presence on Earth.


Quantity Value HuID Source Type
Total watershed Nitrogen input from sewer systems ≈ 4 × 109 kg N / yr 13501 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …
Atmospheric N2O concentration ≈ 334 parts per billion 25529 NOAA ESRL Global Monitoring Laboratory
Pre-industrial atmospheric N2O concentration ≈ 270 parts per billion 37377 MacFarling Meure, C., D. Etheridge, …
Total watershed Nitrogen input from human wastewater ≈ 6 × 109 kg N / yr 40335 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …
Total watershed Nitrogen input from septic systems ≈ 2 × 108 kg N / yr 42569 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …
Global production mass of nitrogen contained in ammonia (NH3) ≈ 1.50 × 1011 kg N / yr 60580 United States Geological Survey
Global production mass of nitrogen contained in ammonia (NH3) ≈ 1.52 × 1011 kg N / yr 61614 International Fertilizer Association
Total watershed Nitrogen input from open defecation ≈ 2 × 109 kg N / yr 88616 Tuholske, Cascade; Halpern, Benjamin S.; …