A majority of the research that examines excess nutrient use in agriculture has been in respect to nitrogen and phosphorus. Scientists have known for a long time that these two chemicals can cause detrimental effects on the environment, including increased greenhouse gas emissions and algae blooms in downstream waters.

Sulfur has long been applied to agricultural lands to improve the production and health of crops, serving as both a fertilizer and pesticide.

“We're moving it through our environment and ecosystems at a much faster rate than it would otherwise,” said Hinckley.

Some agricultural industries around the world have even been putting more sulfur directly on their fields. So far, only isolated studies have given scientists a glimpse into the effects of excess sulfur on soil health and surrounding waters.

This is an odd story - you wouldn't think much elemental sulfur would get into the air without combustion. I could certainly see acidification of streams down stream from an over applied farm field without buffer being a concern - as it is with acid mine discharge but I struggle to understand how it would create sulfur dioxide except where burning the fields is a normal part of healthy agricultural practice in some grass lands.