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Groundwater data were collected in the spring and fall of 2008 from three sites representing different geological settings and biogeochemical conditions within the surficial glacial aquifer of Long Island, NY. Investigations were designed to examine the extent to which average vadose zone thickness in contributing watersheds controlled biogeochemical conditions and processes, including dissolved oxygen concentration (DO), oxidation-reduction potential (Eh), dissolved organic carbon concentration (DOC), and microbial dinitrogen (N2) production. Greatest N2 production was observed at the south shore of Long Island, which is characterized by a thin vadose zone, low DO and Eh, and relatively high DOC. Limited N2 production...
The soil emission rates (fluxes) of nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2 = NOx) through a seasonal snowpack were determined by a flux gradient method from near-continuous 2-year measurements using an automated system for sampling interstitial air at various heights within the snowpack from a subalpine site at Niwot Ridge, Colorado. The winter seasonal-averaged N2O fluxes of 0.047-0.069 nmol m-2 s-1 were ~15 times higher than observed NOx fluxes of 0.0030-0.0067 nmol m-2 s-1. During spring N2O emissions first peaked and then dropped sharply as the soil water content increased from the release of snowpack meltwater, while other gases, including NOx and CO2 did not show this behavior. To compare and contrast...
Summary Geochemical and isotopic tools were applied at aquifer, transect, and subtransect scales to provide a framework for understanding sources, transport, and fate of dissolved inorganic N in a sandy aquifer near La Pine, Oregon. NO3 is a common contaminant in shallow ground water in this area, whereas high concentrations of NH4–N (up to 39 mg/L) are present in deep ground water. N concentrations, N/Cl ratios, tracer-based apparent ground-water ages, N isotope data, and hydraulic gradients indicate that septic tank effluent is the primary source of NO3. N isotope data, N/Cl and N/C relations, 3H data, and hydraulic considerations point to a natural, sedimentary organic matter source for the high concentrations...
Abstract: Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) retention-transport through a headwater catchment was synthesized from studies encompassing four distinct hydrologic zones of the Shingobee River Headwaters near the origin of the Mississippi River. The hydrologic zones included: (1) hillslope ground water (ridge to bankside riparian); (2) alluvial riparian ground water; (3) ground water discharged through subchannel sediments (hyporheic zone); and (4) channel surface water. During subsurface hillslope transport through Zone 1, DIN, primarily nitrate, decreased from ∼3 mg-N/l to <0.1 mg-N/l. Ambient seasonal nitrate:chloride ratios in hillslope flow paths indicated both dilution and biotic processing caused nitrate loss....
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The Maquoketa River carries some of the highest sediment and nutrient loads in the Upper Mississippi River, contributing to eutrophication and hypoxic conditions in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. Floodplains provide the ability to remove and sequester, sediments, nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon; however effectiveness of floodplains is limited by the extent and connection of the floodplain to the river. The confluence of the Maquoketa and Mississippi Rivers presents a unique study location because the delta at the confluence is heavily managed by a State-Federal-NGO partnership that has already taken action focusing on evaluating the impact of increased connectivity on numerous ecosystem services, including...
Denitrification, the reduction of the nitrogen (N) oxides, nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−), to the gases nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), and dinitrogen (N2), is important to primary production, water quality, and the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere at ecosystem, landscape, regional, and global scales. Unfortunately, this process is very difficult to measure, and existing methods are problematic for different reasons in different places at different times. In this paper, we review the major approaches that have been taken to measure denitrification in terrestrial and aquatic environments and discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and future prospects for the different methods. Methodological approaches...
A 1.6 ha plot of Atriplex canescens (fourwing saltbush) was established in a desert soil at a former uranium ore-processing plant, near Monument Valley, Arizona, to remediate nitrate and ammonium N contamination. The plants were irrigated to stimulate growth and N uptake. However, NO3? loss from the soil was unexpectedly rapid. Initially, the soil contained approximately 180 mg kg?1 NO3??N distributed at depths up to 4.6 m, but concentrations decreased to 80 mg kg?1 after 41 months. Losses occurred throughout the plot at all soil depths. NH4?N remained unchanged (ca.180 mg kg?1). Soil moisture was generally below field capacity and soil?water flux showed no net downward movement over the course of the study. A salt...
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The Maumee River transports huge loads of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to Lake Erie. The increased concentrations of N and P are causing eutrophication of the lake, creating hypoxic zones, and contributing to phytoplankton blooms. It is hypothesized that the P loads are a major contributor to harmful algal blooms that occur in the western basin of Lake Erie, particularly in summer. The Maumee River has been identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a priority watershed where action needs to be taken to reduce nutrient loads. This study quantified rates of biogeochemical processes affecting downstream flux of N and P by 1) measuring indices of potential sediment P retention and 2) measuring...
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Hydraulic connection between channels and floodplains (“connectivity”) is a fundamental determinant of ecosystem function in large floodplain rivers. Factors controlling material processing in these rivers depend not only on the degree of connectivity but also on the sediment conditions, nutrient loads and source. Nutrient cycling in the nutrient-rich upper Mississippi River (MISS) is relatively well studied, while that of less eutrophic tributaries is not (e.g., St Croix River; SACN). We examined components of nitrogen cycling in two floodplain rivers of contrasting nutrient enrichment and catchment land-use to test the hypothesis that N-cycling rates will be greater in the MISS with elevated nutrient-loads and...
Denitrification was measured within a nitrate-contaminated aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, using natural gradient tracer tests with 15N nitrate. The aquifer contained zones of relatively high concentrations of nitrite (up to 77 μM) and nitrous oxide (up to 143 μM) and has been the site of previous studies examining ground water denitrification using the acetylene block technique. Small-scale (15–24 m travel distance) tracer tests were conducted by injecting 15N nitrate and bromide as tracers into a depth interval that contained nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, and excess nitrogen gas. The timing of the bromide breakthrough curves at down-gradient wells matched peaks in 15N abundance above background for nitrate,...
Denitrification was measured within a nitrate-contaminated aquifer on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, using natural gradient tracer tests with 15N nitrate. The aquifer contained zones of relatively high concentrations of nitrite (up to 77 μM) and nitrous oxide (up to 143 μM) and has been the site of previous studies examining ground water denitrification using the acetylene block technique. Small-scale (15–24 m travel distance) tracer tests were conducted by injecting 15N nitrate and bromide as tracers into a depth interval that contained nitrate, nitrite, nitrous oxide, and excess nitrogen gas. The timing of the bromide breakthrough curves at down-gradient wells matched peaks in 15N abundance above background for nitrate,...
Summary Geochemical and isotopic tools were applied at aquifer, transect, and subtransect scales to provide a framework for understanding sources, transport, and fate of dissolved inorganic N in a sandy aquifer near La Pine, Oregon. NO3 is a common contaminant in shallow ground water in this area, whereas high concentrations of NH4–N (up to 39 mg/L) are present in deep ground water. N concentrations, N/Cl ratios, tracer-based apparent ground-water ages, N isotope data, and hydraulic gradients indicate that septic tank effluent is the primary source of NO3. N isotope data, N/Cl and N/C relations, 3H data, and hydraulic considerations point to a natural, sedimentary organic matter source for the high concentrations...
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Lake Superior is historically a nutrient poor lake that does not typically support significant cyanobacterial blooms. However, the lake has been experiencing an increase in blooms in the western portion of the basin recently. The largest blooms documented have occurred after recent major flooding events, indicating that nutrients transported to the lake during these events may be a source for the blooms. This study looks into the combination of streambed sediment-derived nutrient data during base flow conditions and suspended and settled sediment-derived nutrient data from storm events to provide information about nutrient transformation and storage in the river networks of the Bois Brule River and Siskiwit River...
Gradients in contaminant concentrations and isotopic compositions commonly are used to derive reaction parameters for natural attenuation in aquifers. Differences between field-scale (apparent) estimated reaction rates and isotopic fractionations and local-scale (intrinsic) effects are poorly understood for complex natural systems. For a heterogeneous alluvial fan aquifer, numerical models and field observations were used to study the effects of physical heterogeneity on reaction parameter estimates. Field measurements included major ions, age tracers, stable isotopes, and dissolved gases. Parameters were estimated for the O2 reduction rate, denitrification rate, O2 threshold for denitrification, and stable N isotope...
Shallow injection is the predominant mode of wastewater disposal for most tourist-oriented facilities and some residential communities in the US Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Concern has been expressed that wastewater nutrients may be escaping from the saline groundwater system into canals and surrounding coastal waters and perhaps to the reef tract 10 km offshore, promoting unwanted algal growth and degradation of water quality. We performed a field study of the fate of wastewater-derived nitrate in the subsurface of a Florida Keys residential community (Key Colony Beach, FL) that uses this disposal method, analyzing samples from 21 monitoring wells and two canal sites. The results indicate that wastewater...
The advent of molecular techniques has improved our understanding of the microbial communities responsible for denitrification and is beginning to address their role in controlling denitrification processes. There is a large diversity of bacteria, archaea, and fungi capable of denitrification, and their community composition is structured by long-term environmental drivers. The range of temperature and moisture conditions, substrate availability, competition, and disturbances have long-lasting legacies on denitrifier community structure. These communities may differ in physiology, environmental tolerances to pH and O2, growth rate, and enzyme kinetics. Although factors such as O2, pH, C availability, and NO3− pools...
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The data were gathered as a preliminary assessment of soil microbiology and conditions in selected urban stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in Clarksburg, MD. Four bioretention facilities (BF), four dry ponds (DP), and four surface sand filters (SSF) were selected. Three samples were taken from each BMP (a single sample from one dry swale (DS) was also collected). BMPs were selected based on their position along various stormwater treatment trains. Soil samples were taken after precipitation events in the summer of 2015 and analyzed for various soil chemistry parameters and microbial taxonomic profiling.
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The Maumee River transports huge loads of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to Lake Erie. The increased concentrations of N and P are causing eutrophication of the lake, creating hypoxic zones, and contributing to phytoplankton blooms. It is hypothesized that the P loads are a major contributor to harmful algal blooms that occur in the western basin of Lake Erie, particularly in summer. The Maumee River has been identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a priority watershed where action needs to be taken to reduce nutrient loads. This study quantified rates of biogeochemical processes affecting downstream flux of N and P by 1) measuring indices of potential sediment P retention and 2) measuring...
In 2003–2005, systematic studies in four contrasting hydrogeologic settings were undertaken to improve understanding of source and transport controls on nitrate movement to public supply wells (PSW) in principal aquifers of the United States. Chemical, isotopic, and age tracer data show that agricultural fertilizers and urban septic leachate were the primary sources of large nitrate concentrations in PSW capture zones at Modesto, California (Central Valley aquifer system) and York, Nebraska (High Plains aquifer). Urban septic leachate and fertilizer (possibly nonfarm) were the primary sources of large nitrate concentrations in PSW capture zones at Woodbury, Connecticut (glacial aquifer system), and Tampa, Florida...
Soil denitrification is an ecologically important nitrogen removal mechanism that releases to the atmosphere the greenhouse gas N2O, an intermediate product from the reduction of NO3 − to N2. In this study we evaluate the relationship between soil carbon and denitrification potential in watersheds with bedrock acting as a nonpoint source of nitrogen, testing the hypothesis that nitrate leaching to stream water is in part regulated by denitrification. Two sites, one in a Mediterranean climate and the other in an arid climate, were investigated to understand the interplay between carbon and denitrification potential. Both sites included carbonaceous bedrock with relatively high nitrogen concentrations (>1,000 mg N...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: carbon, denitrification, soil, weathering


map background search result map search result map Coastal Groundwater Chemical Data from the North and South Shores of Long Island, New York Determine nutrient conditions, cycling, and biological effects in two riverine parks, St.Croix National Scenic River (SACN) and Upper Mississippi River National Recreation Area (MNRA): Data Soil characteristics and microbial taxonomy in selected urban stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in Clarksburg, MD, 2015 Maquoketa River Floodplain-River Connectivity 2014-2016 Data Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Nutrient cycling in riverbed sediment in the Maumee River Basin, 2019 and 2021 Data (ver. 2.0, March 2024) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Nutrient cycling in riverbed sediment in the Maumee River Basin, 2019 Data Phosphorus and nitrogen cycling in streambed and suspended sediment in Bois Brule and Siskiwit Rivers WI, 2021-2023 Data Maquoketa River Floodplain-River Connectivity 2014-2016 Data Soil characteristics and microbial taxonomy in selected urban stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in Clarksburg, MD, 2015 Coastal Groundwater Chemical Data from the North and South Shores of Long Island, New York Phosphorus and nitrogen cycling in streambed and suspended sediment in Bois Brule and Siskiwit Rivers WI, 2021-2023 Data Determine nutrient conditions, cycling, and biological effects in two riverine parks, St.Croix National Scenic River (SACN) and Upper Mississippi River National Recreation Area (MNRA): Data Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Nutrient cycling in riverbed sediment in the Maumee River Basin, 2019 and 2021 Data (ver. 2.0, March 2024) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Nutrient cycling in riverbed sediment in the Maumee River Basin, 2019 Data