Environmental effects of excessive amounts of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition have raised a great deal of attention. In the present study, the characteristics of N deposition and its contribution to water eutrophication were investigated in the Taihu Basin. The results showed that the annual average total deposition (TN), total wet deposition (TN W ), and total dry deposition (TN D ) rates were 6154, 1142, and 5012 kg·km −2 , respectively. Moreover, seasonal fluctuations in TN, TN W , and TN D deposition were observed, with a higher N deposition rate occurring in spring and summer. Spatially, the distribution of TN and TN D deposition throughout the Taihu Basin was similar. However, the TN deposition rate declined gradually from the southeast to the northwest, while the TN W deposition rate increased. A significant positive correlation was also found between the TN deposition contents with rainfall R=0.803,P=0.01, rainfall frequency R=0.767,P<0.01, and rainfall intensity R=0.659,P<0.05. The TN deposition concentration was significantly negatively correlated with rainfall R=−0.999,P<0.01, rain frequency R=−0.805,P<0.01, and rainfall intensity R=−0.783,P<0.01. The riverine input of TN was estimated to be 112,500 t·N·a −1 , and the main N pollutants originated from domestic sewage (accounting for 48.88%) and agriculture (accounting for 28.17%). Livestock and aquaculture contributed 90% of the agricultural pollutants. Additionally, TN deposition contributed 14,400 t N·a −1 to the lake, which accounted for 12.36% of the annual riverine TN inputs. The TN deposition load already exceeds the eutrophication critical load in theory. Furthermore, the contribution of N deposition to the lake has been increasing in recent years, which may accelerate eutrophication of Taihu Lake.

#	Concept	H-Index	Publications	Citations
1	Engineering	1	1	45
2	Biogeochemistry	1	1	45
3	Climatology	1	1	45
4	Earth Science	1	1	45
5	Hydrometeorology	1	1	45

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