Articles | Volume 13, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6211-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6211-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Nov 2016
Research article |
| 18 Nov 2016
Sources and transformations of anthropogenic nitrogen along an urban river–estuarine continuum
Michael J. Pennino
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geology and Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary
Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
now at: US EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Health
and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR, USA
Sujay S. Kaushal
Department of Geology and Earth Systems Science Interdisciplinary
Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Sudhir N. Murthy
DC Water, Office of the General Manager, Washington, D.C., USA
Joel D. Blomquist
US Geological Survey, Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia Water Science Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
Jeff C. Cornwell
Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland Horn Point
Laboratory, Cambridge, MD, USA
Lora A. Harris
Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland Chesapeake
Biological Laboratory, Solomons, MD, USA
Related authors
Rose M. Smith, Sujay S. Kaushal, Jake J. Beaulieu, Michael J. Pennino, and Claire Welty
Biogeosciences, 14, 2831–2849, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2831-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2831-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Urban streams receive excess nitrogen from numerous sources. We hypothesized that variations in carbon availability and subsurface infrastructure influence emissions of N2O and other greenhouse gases (CH4 and CO2) as excess N is utilized by microbes. We sampled eight streams draining four categories of stormwater and sanitary infrastructure. Dissolved nitrogen concentration was the strongest predictor of CO2 and N2O concentrations, while C : N ratio was the strongest predictor of CH4 in streams.
Michael J. Pennino, Sujay S. Kaushal, Paul M. Mayer, Ryan M. Utz, and Curtis A. Cooper
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3419–3439, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3419-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3419-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The goal of this study was to compare how differences in urban stream restoration and sanitary infrastructure affect sources and fluxes of water and nutrients. Stream restoration reduced peak discharge and lowered nutrient export compared to unrestored streams, but was similar to a stream with upland stormwater management. The primary source of nitrate at all sites was leaky sanitary sewers, suggesting that combining stream restoration with sanitary pipe repairs may help reduce nutrient loads.
Qixing Ji, Claudia Frey, Xin Sun, Melanie Jackson, Yea-Shine Lee, Amal Jayakumar, Jeffrey C. Cornwell, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 15, 6127–6138, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6127-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6127-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a strong greenhouse gas and ozone-depletion agent. Intense N2O effluxes had been observed from nutrient-rich estuaries with human impacts, such as the Chesapeake Bay. We report that increased nitrogen availability and low-oxygen conditions stimulate N2O production. Thus, controlling the nutrient input to the bay will decrease nitrogen availability and alleviate eutrophication, leading to water column reoxygenation, and subsequently will mitigate N2O emission.
Rose M. Smith, Sujay S. Kaushal, Jake J. Beaulieu, Michael J. Pennino, and Claire Welty
Biogeosciences, 14, 2831–2849, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2831-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2831-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Urban streams receive excess nitrogen from numerous sources. We hypothesized that variations in carbon availability and subsurface infrastructure influence emissions of N2O and other greenhouse gases (CH4 and CO2) as excess N is utilized by microbes. We sampled eight streams draining four categories of stormwater and sanitary infrastructure. Dissolved nitrogen concentration was the strongest predictor of CO2 and N2O concentrations, while C : N ratio was the strongest predictor of CH4 in streams.
Michael J. Pennino, Sujay S. Kaushal, Paul M. Mayer, Ryan M. Utz, and Curtis A. Cooper
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3419–3439, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3419-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3419-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The goal of this study was to compare how differences in urban stream restoration and sanitary infrastructure affect sources and fluxes of water and nutrients. Stream restoration reduced peak discharge and lowered nutrient export compared to unrestored streams, but was similar to a stream with upland stormwater management. The primary source of nitrate at all sites was leaky sanitary sewers, suggesting that combining stream restoration with sanitary pipe repairs may help reduce nutrient loads.
S. Duan and S. S. Kaushal
Biogeosciences, 12, 7331–7347, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7331-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-7331-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
There has been increased salinization of fresh water over decades during the urban evolution of watersheds. This study finds that salinization consistently increased sediment releases of labile organic carbon and total dissolved Kjeldahl nitrogen and sediment transformations of nitrate, and the salinization effects increased with percentage watershed urbanization. These findings are will be critical for forecasting changes in carbon and nutrient exports due to salt use in urban watersheds.
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Stable Isotopes & Other Tracers
Determination of respiration and photosynthesis fractionation factors for atmospheric dioxygen inferred from a vegetation–soil–atmosphere analogue of the terrestrial biosphere in closed chambers
Permafrost degradation and nitrogen cycling in Arctic rivers: insights from stable nitrogen isotope studies
Neodymium budget in the Mediterranean Sea: evaluating the role of atmospheric dusts using a high-resolution dynamical-biogeochemical model
Nitrate isotope investigations reveal future impacts of climate change on nitrogen inputs and cycling in Arctic fjords: Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden (Svalbard)
Mineralization of autochthonous particulate organic carbon is a fast channel of organic matter turnover in Germany's largest drinking water reservoir
Carbon isotopic ratios of modern C3 and C4 vegetation on the Indian peninsula and changes along the plant–soil–river continuum – implications for vegetation reconstructions
Controls on nitrite oxidation in the upper Southern Ocean: insights from winter kinetics experiments in the Indian sector
Tracing the source of nitrate in a forested stream showing elevated concentrations during storm events
Intra-skeletal variability in phosphate oxygen isotope composition reveals regional heterothermies in marine vertebrates
Isotopic differences in soil–plant–atmosphere continuum composition and control factors of different vegetation zones on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains
An analysis of the variability in δ13C in macroalgae from the Gulf of California: indicative of carbon concentration mechanisms and isotope discrimination during carbon assimilation
Summertime productivity and carbon export potential in the Weddell Sea, with a focus on the waters adjacent to Larsen C Ice Shelf
Particulate biogenic barium tracer of mesopelagic carbon remineralization in the Mediterranean Sea (PEACETIME project)
Hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation factors of aerobic methane oxidation in deep-sea water
Host-influenced geochemical signature in the parasitic foraminifera Hyrrokkin sarcophaga
Comparing modified substrate-induced respiration with selective inhibition (SIRIN) and N2O isotope approaches to estimate fungal contribution to denitrification in three arable soils under anoxic conditions
How are oxygen budgets influenced by dissolved iron and growth of oxygenic phototrophs in an iron-rich spring system? Initial results from the Espan Spring in Fürth, Germany
Stable isotope ratios in seawater nitrate reflect the influence of Pacific water along the northwest Atlantic margin
High-resolution 14C bomb peak dating and climate response analyses of subseasonal stable isotope signals in wood of the African baobab – a case study from Oman
Geographic variability in freshwater methane hydrogen isotope ratios and its implications for global isotopic source signatures
Seasonality of nitrogen sources, cycling, and loading in a New England river discerned from nitrate isotope ratios
Evaluating the response of δ13C in Haloxylon ammodendron, a dominant C4 species in Asian desert ecosystems, to water and nitrogen addition as well as the availability of its δ13C as an indicator of water use efficiency
Modern silicon dynamics of a small high-latitude subarctic lake
Radium-228-derived ocean mixing and trace element inputs in the South Atlantic
Nitrogen isotopic fractionations during nitric oxide production in an agricultural soil
Silicon uptake and isotope fractionation dynamics by crop species
Barium stable isotopes as a fingerprint of biological cycling in the Amazon River basin
Bottomland hardwood forest growth and stress response to hydroclimatic variation: evidence from dendrochronology and tree ring Δ13C values
N2O isotope approaches for source partitioning of N2O production and estimation of N2O reduction – validation with the 15N gas-flux method in laboratory and field studies
Technical note: Single-shell δ11B analysis of Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi using femtosecond laser ablation MC-ICPMS and secondary ion mass spectrometry
Biogeochemical evidence of anaerobic methane oxidation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation in a stratified lake using stable isotopes
Effects of 238U variability and physical transport on water column 234Th downward fluxes in the coastal upwelling system off Peru
Do degree and rate of silicate weathering depend on plant productivity?
Alpine Holocene tree-ring dataset: age-related trends in the stable isotopes of cellulose show species-specific patterns
Ideas and perspectives: The same carbon behaves like different elements – an insight into position-specific isotope distributions
Seasonal dynamics of the COS and CO2 exchange of a managed temperate grassland
Leaf-scale quantification of the effect of photosynthetic gas exchange on Δ17O of atmospheric CO2
The stable carbon isotope signature of methane produced by saprotrophic fungi
Understanding the effects of early degradation on isotopic tracers: implications for sediment source attribution using compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA)
Oxygen isotope composition of waters recorded in carbonates in strong clumped and oxygen isotopic disequilibrium
Isotopic evidence for alteration of nitrous oxide emissions and producing pathways' contribution under nitrifying conditions
Trace element composition of size-fractionated suspended particulate matter samples from the Qatari Exclusive Economic Zone of the Arabian Gulf: the role of atmospheric dust
Benthic carbon fixation and cycling in diffuse hydrothermal and background sediments in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica
Changes in gross oxygen production, net oxygen production, and air-water gas exchange during seasonal ice melt in Whycocomagh Bay, a Canadian estuary in the Bras d'Or Lake system
Plants or bacteria? 130 years of mixed imprints in Lake Baldegg sediments (Switzerland), as revealed by compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) and biomarker analysis
Commercial traceability of Arapaima spp. fisheries in the Amazon basin: can biogeochemical tags be useful?
Distribution of Fe isotopes in particles and colloids in the salinity gradient along the Lena River plume, Laptev Sea
Early season N2O emissions under variable water management in rice systems: source-partitioning emissions using isotope ratios along a depth profile
Evolution of 231Pa and 230Th in overflow waters of the North Atlantic
Southern Ocean controls of the vertical marine δ13C gradient – a modelling study
Clémence Paul, Clément Piel, Joana Sauze, Nicolas Pasquier, Frédéric Prié, Sébastien Devidal, Roxanne Jacob, Arnaud Dapoigny, Olivier Jossoud, Alexandru Milcu, and Amaëlle Landais
Biogeosciences, 20, 1047–1062, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1047-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1047-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To improve the interpretation of the δ18Oatm and Δ17O of O2 in air bubbles in ice cores, we need to better quantify the oxygen fractionation coefficients associated with biological processes. We performed a simplified analogue of the terrestrial biosphere in a closed chamber. We found a respiration fractionation in agreement with the previous estimates at the microorganism scale, and a terrestrial photosynthetic fractionation was found. This has an impact on the estimation of the Dole effect.
Adam Francis, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Robert G. M. Spencer, Robert M. Holmes, Jennifer A. Rogers, and Claire Mahaffey
Biogeosciences, 20, 365–382, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-365-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is causing extensive permafrost degradation and nutrient releases into rivers with great ecological impacts on the Arctic Ocean. We focused on nitrogen (N) release from this degradation and associated cycling using N isotopes, an understudied area. Many N species are released at degradation sites with exchanges between species. N inputs from permafrost degradation and seasonal river N trends were identified using isotopes, helping to predict climate change impacts.
Mohamed Ayache, Jean-Claude Dutay, Kazuyo Tachikawa, Thomas Arsouze, and Catherine Jeandel
Biogeosciences, 20, 205–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-205-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The neodymium (Nd) is one of the most useful tracers to fingerprint water mass provenance. However, the use of Nd is hampered by the lack of adequate quantification of the external sources. Here, we present the first simulation of dissolved Nd concentration and Nd isotopic composition in the Mediterranean Sea using a high-resolution model. We aim to better understand how the various external sources affect the Nd cycle and particularly assess how it is impacted by atmospheric inputs.
Marta Santos-Garcia, Raja S. Ganeshram, Robyn E. Tuerena, Margot C. F. Debyser, Katrine Husum, Philipp Assmy, and Haakon Hop
Biogeosciences, 19, 5973–6002, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5973-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5973-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Terrestrial sources of nitrate are important contributors to the nutrient pool in the fjords of Kongsfjorden and Rijpfjorden in Svalbard during the summer, and they sustain most of the fjord primary productivity. Ongoing tidewater glacier retreat is postulated to favour light limitation and less dynamic circulation in fjords. This is suggested to encourage the export of nutrients to the middle and outer part of the fjord system, which may enhance primary production within and in offshore areas.
Marlene Dordoni, Michael Seewald, Karsten Rinke, Kurt Friese, Robert van Geldern, Jakob Schmidmeier, and Johannes A. C. Barth
Biogeosciences, 19, 5343–5355, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5343-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5343-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Organic matter (OM) turnover into dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was investigated by means of carbon isotope mass balances in Germany's largest water reservoir. This includes a metalimnetic oxygen minimum (MOM). Autochthonous particulate organic carbon (POC) was the main contributor to DIC, with rates that were highest for the MOM. Generally low turnover rates outline the environmental fragility of this water body in the case that OM loads increase due to storm events or land use changes.
Frédérique M. S. A. Kirkels, Hugo J. de Boer, Paulina Concha Hernández, Chris R. T. Martes, Marcel T. J. van der Meer, Sayak Basu, Muhammed O. Usman, and Francien Peterse
Biogeosciences, 19, 4107–4127, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4107-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4107-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The distinct carbon isotopic values of C3 and C4 plants are widely used to reconstruct past hydroclimate, where more C3 plants reflect wetter and C4 plants drier conditions. Here we examine the impact of regional hydroclimatic conditions on plant isotopic values in the Godavari River basin, India. We find that it is crucial to identify regional plant isotopic values and consider drought stress, which introduces a bias in C3 / C4 plant estimates and associated hydroclimate reconstructions.
Mhlangabezi Mdutyana, Tanya Marshall, Xin Sun, Jessica M. Burger, Sandy J. Thomalla, Bess B. Ward, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 19, 3425–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3425-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in the winter Southern Ocean show a high affinity for nitrite but require a minimum (i.e., "threshold") concentration before they increase their rates of nitrite oxidation significantly. The classic Michaelis–Menten model thus cannot be used to derive the kinetic parameters, so a modified equation was employed that also yields the threshold nitrite concentration. Dissolved iron availability may play an important role in limiting nitrite oxidation.
Weitian Ding, Urumu Tsunogai, Fumiko Nakagawa, Takashi Sambuichi, Hiroyuki Sase, Masayuki Morohashi, and Hiroki Yotsuyanagi
Biogeosciences, 19, 3247–3261, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3247-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3247-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Excessive leaching of nitrate from forested catchments during storm events degrades water quality and causes eutrophication in downstream areas. Thus, tracing the source of nitrate increase during storm events in forested streams is important for sustainable forest management. Based on the isotopic compositions of stream nitrate, including Δ17O, this study clarifies that the source of stream nitrate increase during storm events was soil nitrate in the riparian zone.
Nicolas Séon, Romain Amiot, Guillaume Suan, Christophe Lécuyer, François Fourel, Fabien Demaret, Arnauld Vinçon-Laugier, Sylvain Charbonnier, and Peggy Vincent
Biogeosciences, 19, 2671–2681, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2671-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2671-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed the oxygen isotope composition of bones and teeth of four marine species possessing regional heterothermies. We observed a consistent link between oxygen isotope composition and temperature heterogeneities recorded by classical methods. This opens up new perspectives on the determination of the thermoregulatory strategies of extant marine vertebrates where conventional methods are difficult to apply, but also allows us to investigate thermophysiologies of extinct vertebrates.
Yuwei Liu, Guofeng Zhu, Zhuanxia Zhang, Zhigang Sun, Leilei Yong, Liyuan Sang, Lei Wang, and Kailiang Zhao
Biogeosciences, 19, 877–889, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-877-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-877-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We took the water cycle process of soil–plant–atmospheric precipitation as the research objective. In the water cycle of soil–plant–atmospheric precipitation, precipitation plays the main controlling role. The main source of replenishment for alpine meadow plants is precipitation and alpine meltwater; the main source of replenishment for forest plants is soil water; and the plants in the arid foothills mainly use groundwater.
Roberto Velázquez-Ochoa, María Julia Ochoa-Izaguirre, and Martín Federico Soto-Jiménez
Biogeosciences, 19, 1–27, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our research is the first approximation to understand the δ13C macroalgal variability in one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, the Gulf of California. The life-form is the principal cause of δ13C macroalgal variability, mainly taxonomy. However, changes in habitat characteristics and environmental conditions also influence the δ13C macroalgal variability. The δ13C macroalgae is indicative of carbon concentration mechanisms and isotope discrimination during carbon assimilation.
Raquel F. Flynn, Thomas G. Bornman, Jessica M. Burger, Shantelle Smith, Kurt A. M. Spence, and Sarah E. Fawcett
Biogeosciences, 18, 6031–6059, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6031-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-6031-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Biological activity in the shallow Weddell Sea affects the biogeochemistry of recently formed deep waters. To investigate the drivers of carbon and nutrient export, we measured rates of primary production and nitrogen uptake, characterized the phytoplankton community, and estimated nutrient depletion ratios across the under-sampled western Weddell Sea in mid-summer. Carbon export was highest at the ice shelves and was determined by a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors.
Stéphanie H. M. Jacquet, Christian Tamburini, Marc Garel, Aurélie Dufour, France Van Vambeke, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, Nagib Bhairy, and Sophie Guasco
Biogeosciences, 18, 5891–5902, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5891-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5891-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compared carbon remineralization rates (MRs) in the western and central Mediterranean Sea in late spring during the PEACETIME cruise, as assessed using the barium tracer. We reported higher and deeper (up to 1000 m depth) MRs in the western basin, potentially sustained by an additional particle export event driven by deep convection. The central basin is the site of a mosaic of blooming and non-blooming water masses and showed lower MRs that were restricted to the upper mesopelagic layer.
Shinsuke Kawagucci, Yohei Matsui, Akiko Makabe, Tatsuhiro Fukuba, Yuji Onishi, Takuro Nunoura, and Taichi Yokokawa
Biogeosciences, 18, 5351–5362, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5351-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5351-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios of methane as well as the relevant biogeochemical parameters and microbial community compositions in hydrothermal plumes in the Okinawa Trough were observed. We succeeded in simultaneously determining hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation factors associated with aerobic oxidation of methane in seawater (εH = 49.4 ± 5.0 ‰, εC = 5.2 ± 0.4 ‰) – the former being the first of its kind ever reported.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, David Evans, Max Wisshak, Janina Vanessa Büscher, Jens Fiebig, André Freiwald, Sven Härter, Horst R. Marschall, Silke Voigt, and Jacek Raddatz
Biogeosciences, 18, 4733–4753, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4733-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have measured the chemical composition of the carbonate shells of the parasitic foraminifera Hyrrokkin sarcophaga in order to test if it is influenced by the host organism (bivalve or coral). We find that both the chemical and isotopic composition is influenced by the host organism. For example strontium is enriched in foraminifera that grew on corals, whose skeleton is built from aragonite, which is naturally enriched in strontium compared to the bivalves' calcite shell.
Lena Rohe, Traute-Heidi Anderson, Heinz Flessa, Anette Goeske, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Nicole Wrage-Mönnig, and Reinhard Well
Biogeosciences, 18, 4629–4650, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4629-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4629-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This is the first experimental setup combining a complex set of methods (microbial inhibitors and isotopic approaches) to differentiate between N2O produced by fungi or bacteria during denitrification in three soils. Quantifying the fungal fraction with inhibitors was not successful due to large amounts of uninhibited N2O production. All successful methods suggested a small or missing fungal contribution. Artefacts occurring with microbial inhibition to determine N2O fluxes are discussed.
Inga Köhler, Raul E. Martinez, David Piatka, Achim J. Herrmann, Arianna Gallo, Michelle M. Gehringer, and Johannes A. C. Barth
Biogeosciences, 18, 4535–4548, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4535-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4535-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated how high Fe(II) levels influence the O2 budget of a circum-neutral Fe(II)-rich spring and if a combined study of dissolved O (DO) and its isotopic composition can help assess this effect. We showed that dissolved Fe(II) can exert strong effects on the δ18ODO even though a constant supply of atmospheric O2 occurs. In the presence of photosynthesis, direct effects of Fe oxidation become masked. Critical Fe(II) concentrations indirectly control the DO by enhancing photosynthesis.
Owen A. Sherwood, Samuel H. Davin, Nadine Lehmann, Carolyn Buchwald, Evan N. Edinger, Moritz F. Lehmann, and Markus Kienast
Biogeosciences, 18, 4491–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4491-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Pacific water flowing eastward through the Canadian Arctic plays an important role in redistributing nutrients to the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Using samples collected from northern Baffin Bay to the southern Labrador Shelf, we show that stable isotopic ratios in seawater nitrate reflect the fraction of Pacific to Atlantic water. These results provide a new framework for interpreting patterns of nitrogen isotopic variability recorded in modern and archival organic materials in the region.
Franziska Slotta, Lukas Wacker, Frank Riedel, Karl-Uwe Heußner, Kai Hartmann, and Gerhard Helle
Biogeosciences, 18, 3539–3564, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3539-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3539-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The African baobab is a challenging climate and environmental archive for its semi-arid habitat due to dating uncertainties and parenchyma-rich wood anatomy. Annually resolved F14C data of tree-ring cellulose (1941–2005) from a tree in Oman show the annual character of the baobab’s growth rings but were up to 8.8 % lower than expected for 1964–1967. Subseasonal δ13C and δ18O patterns reveal years with low average monsoon rain as well as heavy rainfall events from pre-monsoonal cyclones.
Peter M. J. Douglas, Emerald Stratigopoulos, Sanga Park, and Dawson Phan
Biogeosciences, 18, 3505–3527, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3505-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3505-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrogen isotopes could be a useful tool to help resolve the geographic distribution of methane emissions from freshwater environments. We analyzed an expanded global dataset of freshwater methane hydrogen isotope ratios and found significant geographic variation linked to water isotopic composition. This geographic variability could be used to resolve changing methane fluxes from freshwater environments and provide more accurate estimates of the relative balance of global methane sources.
Veronica R. Rollinson, Julie Granger, Sydney C. Clark, Mackenzie L. Blanusa, Claudia P. Koerting, Jamie M. P. Vaudrey, Lija A. Treibergs, Holly C. Westbrook, Catherine M. Matassa, Meredith G. Hastings, and Craig R. Tobias
Biogeosciences, 18, 3421–3444, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3421-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3421-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We measured nutrients and the naturally occurring nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) stable isotope ratios of nitrate discharged from a New England river over an annual cycle, to monitor N loading and identify dominant sources from the watershed. We uncovered a seasonality to loading and sources of N from the watershed. Seasonality in the nitrate isotope ratios also informed on N cycling, conforming to theoretical expectations of riverine nutrient cycling.
Zixun Chen, Xuejun Liu, Xiaoqing Cui, Yaowen Han, Guoan Wang, and Jiazhu Li
Biogeosciences, 18, 2859–2870, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2859-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
δ13C in plants is a sensitive long-term indicator of physiological acclimatization. The present study suggests that precipitation change and increasing atmospheric N deposition have little impact on δ13C of H. ammodendron, a dominant plant in central Asian deserts, but affect its gas exchange. In addition, this study shows that δ13C of H. ammodendron could not indicate its water use efficiency (WUE), suggesting that whether δ13C of C4 plants indicates WUE is species-specific.
Petra Zahajská, Carolina Olid, Johanna Stadmark, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Sophie Opfergelt, and Daniel J. Conley
Biogeosciences, 18, 2325–2345, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2325-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2325-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The drivers of high accumulation of single-cell siliceous algae (diatoms) in a high-latitude lake have not been fully characterized before. We studied silicon cycling of the lake through water, radon, silicon, and stable silicon isotope balances. Results showed that groundwater brings 3 times more water and dissolved silica than the stream inlet. We demonstrate that groundwater discharge and low sediment deposition have driven the high diatom accumulation in the studied lake in the past century.
Yu-Te Hsieh, Walter Geibert, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, Neil J. Wyatt, Maeve C. Lohan, Eric P. Achterberg, and Gideon M. Henderson
Biogeosciences, 18, 1645–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1645-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1645-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The South Atlantic near 40° S is one of the high-productivity and most dynamic nutrient regions in the oceans, but the sources and fluxes of trace elements (TEs) to this region remain unclear. This study investigates seawater Ra-228 and provides important constraints on ocean mixing and dissolved TE fluxes to this region. Vertical mixing is a more important source than aeolian or shelf inputs in this region, but particulate or winter deep-mixing inputs may be required to balance the TE budgets.
Zhongjie Yu and Emily M. Elliott
Biogeosciences, 18, 805–829, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-805-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we demonstrated distinct nitrogen isotope effects for nitric oxide (NO) production from major microbial and chemical NO sources in an agricultural soil. These results highlight characteristic bond-forming and breaking mechanisms associated with microbial and chemical NO production and implicate that simultaneous isotopic analyses of NO and nitrous oxide (N2O) can lead to unprecedented insights into the sources and processes controlling NO and N2O emissions from agricultural soils.
Daniel A. Frick, Rainer Remus, Michael Sommer, Jürgen Augustin, Danuta Kaczorek, and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
Biogeosciences, 17, 6475–6490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6475-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-6475-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Silicon is taken up by some plants to increase structural stability and to develop stress resistance and is rejected by others. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we used the stable isotopes of silicon that shift in their relative abundance depending on the biochemical transformation involved. On species with a rejective (tomato, mustard) and active (wheat) uptake mechanism, grown in hydroculture, we found that the transport of silicic acid is controlled by the precipitation of biogenic opal.
Quentin Charbonnier, Julien Bouchez, Jérôme Gaillardet, and Éric Gayer
Biogeosciences, 17, 5989–6015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5989-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5989-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The abundance and isotope composition of the trace metal barium (Ba) allows us to track and quantify nutrient cycling throughout the Amazon Basin. In particular, we show that the Ba biological fingerprint evolves from that of a strong net nutrient uptake in the mountainous area of the Andes towards efficient nutrient recycling on the plains of the Lower Amazon. Our study highlights the fact that the geochemical signature of rock-derived nutrients transported by the Amazon is scarred by life.
Ajinkya G. Deshpande, Thomas W. Boutton, Ayumi Hyodo, Charles W. Lafon, and Georgianne W. Moore
Biogeosciences, 17, 5639–5653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5639-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5639-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Wetland forests in the southern USA are threatened by changing climate and human-induced pressures. We used tree ring widths and C isotopes as indicators of forest growth and physiological stress, respectively, and compared these to past climate data. We observed that vegetation growing in the drier patches is susceptible to stress, while vegetation growth and physiology in wetter patches is less sensitive to unfavorable environmental conditions, highlighting the importance of optimal wetness.
Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Maciej Piotr Lewicki, and Reinhard Well
Biogeosciences, 17, 5513–5537, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5513-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5513-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first validation of N2O isotopic approaches for estimating N2O source pathways and N2O reduction. These approaches are widely used for tracing soil nitrogen cycling, but the results of these estimations are very uncertain. Here we report the results from parallel treatments allowing for precise validation of these approaches, and we propose the best strategies for results interpretation, including the new idea of an isotope model integrating three isotopic signatures of N2O.
Markus Raitzsch, Claire Rollion-Bard, Ingo Horn, Grit Steinhoefel, Albert Benthien, Klaus-Uwe Richter, Matthieu Buisson, Pascale Louvat, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 17, 5365–5375, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5365-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5365-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The isotopic composition of boron in carbonate shells of marine unicellular organisms is a popular tool to estimate seawater pH. Usually, many shells need to be dissolved and measured for boron isotopes, but the information on their spatial distribution is lost. Here, we investigate two techniques that allow for measuring boron isotopes within single shells and show that they yield robust mean values but provide additional information on the heterogeneity within and between single shells.
Florian Einsiedl, Anja Wunderlich, Mathieu Sebilo, Ömer K. Coskun, William D. Orsi, and Bernhard Mayer
Biogeosciences, 17, 5149–5161, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5149-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5149-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Nitrate pollution of freshwaters and methane emissions into the atmosphere are crucial factors in deteriorating the quality of drinking water and in contributing to global climate change. Here, we report vertical concentration and stable isotope profiles of CH4, NO3-, NO2-, and NH4+ in the water column of Fohnsee (southern Bavaria, Germany) that may indicate linkages between nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation and the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium.
Ruifang C. Xie, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, Insa Rapp, Jan Lüdke, Beat Gasser, Marcus Dengler, Volker Liebetrau, and Eric P. Achterberg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4919–4936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4919-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4919-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Thorium-234 (234Th) is widely used to study carbon fluxes from the surface ocean to depth. But few studies stress the relevance of oceanic advection and diffusion on the downward 234Th fluxes in nearshore environments. Our study in offshore Peru showed strong temporal variations in both the importance of physical processes on 234Th flux estimates and the oceanic residence time of 234Th, whereas salinity-derived seawater 238U activities accounted for up to 40 % errors in 234Th flux estimates.
Ralf A. Oeser and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg
Biogeosciences, 17, 4883–4917, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4883-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4883-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present a novel strategy to decipher the relative impact of biogenic and abiotic drivers of weathering. We parameterized the nutrient fluxes in four ecosystems along a climate and vegetation gradient situated on the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. We investigated how nutrient demand by plants drives weathering. We found that the increase in biomass nutrient demand is accommodated by faster nutrient recycling rather than an increase in the weathering–release rates.
Tito Arosio, Malin M. Ziehmer, Kurt Nicolussi, Christian Schlüchter, and Markus Leuenberger
Biogeosciences, 17, 4871–4882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4871-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4871-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotopes in tree-ring cellulose are tools for climatic reconstructions, but interpretation is challenging due to nonclimate trends. We analyzed the tree-age trends in tree-ring isotopes of deciduous larch and evergreen cembran pine. Samples covering the whole Holocene were collected at the tree line in the Alps. For cambial ages over 100 years, we prove the absence of age trends in δD, δ18O, and δ13C for both species. For lower cambial ages, trends differ for each isotope and species.
Yuyang He, Xiaobin Cao, and Huiming Bao
Biogeosciences, 17, 4785–4795, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4785-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4785-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Different carbon sites in a large organic molecule have different isotope compositions. Different carbon sites may not have the chance to exchange isotopes at all. The lack of appreciation of this notion might be blamed for an unsettled debate on the thermodynamic state of an organism. Here we demonstrate using minerals, N2O, and acetic acid that the dearth of exchange among different carbon sites renders them as independent as if they were different elements in organic molecules.
Felix M. Spielmann, Albin Hammerle, Florian Kitz, Katharina Gerdel, and Georg Wohlfahrt
Biogeosciences, 17, 4281–4295, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4281-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4281-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Carbonyl sulfide (COS) can be used as a proxy for plant photosynthesis on an ecosystem scale. However, the relationships between COS and CO2 fluxes and their dependence on daily to seasonal changes in environmental drivers are still poorly understood. We examined COS and CO2 ecosystem fluxes above an agriculturally used mountain grassland for 6 months. Harvesting of the grassland disturbed the otherwise stable COS-to-CO2 uptake ratio. We even found the canopy to release COS during those times.
Getachew Agmuas Adnew, Thijs L. Pons, Gerbrand Koren, Wouter Peters, and Thomas Röckmann
Biogeosciences, 17, 3903–3922, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3903-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3903-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We measured the effect of photosynthesis, the largest flux in the carbon cycle, on the triple oxygen isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 at the leaf level during gas exchange using three plant species. The main factors that limit the impact of land vegetation on the triple oxygen isotope composition of atmospheric CO2 are identified, characterized and discussed. The effect of photosynthesis on the isotopic composition of CO2 is commonly quantified as discrimination (ΔA).
Moritz Schroll, Frank Keppler, Markus Greule, Christian Eckhardt, Holger Zorn, and Katharina Lenhart
Biogeosciences, 17, 3891–3901, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3891-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3891-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fungi have recently been identified to produce the greenhouse gas methane. Here, we investigated the stable carbon isotope values of methane produced by saprotrophic fungi. Our results show that stable isotope values of methane from fungi are dependent on the fungal species and the metabolized substrate. They cover a broad range and overlap with stable carbon isotope values of methane reported for methanogenic archaea, the thermogenic degradation of organic matter, and other eukaryotes.
Pranav Hirave, Guido L. B. Wiesenberg, Axel Birkholz, and Christine Alewell
Biogeosciences, 17, 2169–2180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2169-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment input into water bodies is a prominent threat to freshwater ecosystems. We tested the stability of tracers employed in freshwater sediment tracing based on compound-specific isotope analysis during early degradation in soil. While bulk δ13C values showed no stability, δ13C values of plant-derived fatty acids and n-alkanes were stably transferred to the soil without soil particle size dependency after an early degradation in organic horizons, thus indicating their suitability as tracers.
Caroline Thaler, Amandine Katz, Magali Bonifacie, Bénédicte Ménez, and Magali Ader
Biogeosciences, 17, 1731–1744, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1731-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1731-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Paleoenvironment reconstructions, retrieved from δ18O and Δ47 values measured in carbonate, are compromised when crystallization occurs in isotopic disequilibrium. We show that some paleoenvironmental information can still be retrieved from these paired disequilibrium Δ47 and δ18O values. The possibility of retrieving information on paleowaters, sediments' interstitial waters, or organisms' body water at the carbonate precipitation loci will help understand past Earth and life evolution.
Guillaume Humbert, Mathieu Sébilo, Justine Fiat, Longqi Lang, Ahlem Filali, Véronique Vaury, Mathieu Spérandio, and Anniet M. Laverman
Biogeosciences, 17, 979–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-979-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-979-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Mitigating emissions of the greenhouse gas N2O requires understanding of the relative contribution of its producing processes in response to environmental variables. We show, using isotopic analysis, that N2O emissions from a nitrifying system were sensitive to oxygenation, temperature and NH4+ concentrations with nitrite reduction being the main N2O source. Temperature appears to be the main control on N2O production, due to its dissimilar effects on ammonium and nitrite oxidizing activities.
Oguz Yigiterhan, Ebrahim Mohd Al-Ansari, Alex Nelson, Mohamed Alaa Abdel-Moati, Jesse Turner, Hamood Abdulla Alsaadi, Barbara Paul, Ibrahim Abdullatif Al-Maslamani, Mehsin Abdulla Al-Ansi Al-Yafei, and James W. Murray
Biogeosciences, 17, 381–404, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-381-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We analyze net-tow samples of plankton and associated particulate matter from the Exclusive Economic Zone, Qatar, Arabian Gulf, using net tows with mesh sizes of 50 and 200 μm to examine the composition of plankton populations. We also focus on the role and composition of the atmospheric dust, representative of terrigenous material, deposited in the Gulf. We concluded that Al, Fe, Cr, Co, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Li are of dust origin and As, Cd, Cu, Mo, Zn, and Ca are of anthropogenic/biogenic origin.
Clare Woulds, James B. Bell, Adrian G. Glover, Steven Bouillon, and Louise S. Brown
Biogeosciences, 17, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Sedimented hydrothermal vents occur where heated, mineral-rich (hydrothermal) water seeps through seafloor sediments. They host chemosynthetic microbes, which use chemical energy to fix dissolved carbon dioxide into sugars (chemosynthesis). We conducted carbon tracing experiments, and observed chemosynthesis at both vent and non-vent sites. Thus, chemosynthesis occurred over a much larger area than expected, suggesting it is more widespread than previously thought.
Cara C. Manning, Rachel H. R. Stanley, David P. Nicholson, Brice Loose, Ann Lovely, Peter Schlosser, and Bruce G. Hatcher
Biogeosciences, 16, 3351–3376, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We measured rates of biological activity and gas exchange in a Canadian estuary during ice melt. We quantified gas exchange using inert, deliberately released tracers and found that the gas transfer rate at > 90 % ice cover was 6 % of the rate for nearly ice-free conditions. We measured oxygen concentration and isotopic composition and used the data to detect changes in the rates of photosynthesis and respiration (autotrophy and heterotrophy) as the ice melted.
Marlène Lavrieux, Axel Birkholz, Katrin Meusburger, Guido L. B. Wiesenberg, Adrian Gilli, Christian Stamm, and Christine Alewell
Biogeosciences, 16, 2131–2146, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2131-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2131-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A fingerprinting approach using compound-specific stable isotopes was applied to a lake sediment core to reconstruct erosion processes over the past 150 years in a Swiss catchment. Even though the reconstruction of land use and eutrophication history was successful, the observation of comparatively low δ13C values of plant-derived fatty acids in the sediment suggests their alteration within the lake. Thus, their use as a tool for source attribution in sediment cores needs further investigation.
Luciana A. Pereira, Roberto V. Santos, Marília Hauser, Fabrice Duponchelle, Fernando Carvajal, Christophe Pecheyran, Sylvain Bérail, and Marc Pouilly
Biogeosciences, 16, 1781–1797, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1781-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1781-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first step for a chemical origin certification of pirarucu fishery in the Amazon. A preliminary isotopic tool to improve the actual tracking system integrates ecological, social, and economic aspects of Amazon dynamics. The geographic origin validation of farmed and wild fishes contributes to environmental and social practices, secures food and income to communities, helps manage endangered species, reinforces aquaculture, and combats illegal fisheries.
Sarah Conrad, Johan Ingri, Johan Gelting, Fredrik Nordblad, Emma Engström, Ilia Rodushkin, Per S. Andersson, Don Porcelli, Örjan Gustafsson, Igor Semiletov, and Björn Öhlander
Biogeosciences, 16, 1305–1319, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1305-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1305-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Iron analysis of the particulate, colloidal, and truly dissolved fractions along the Lena River freshwater plume showed that the particulate iron dominates close to the coast. Over 99 % particulate and about 90 % colloidal iron were lost, while the truly dissolved phase was almost constant. Iron isotopes suggest that the shelf acts as a sink for particles and colloids with negative iron isotope values, while colloids with positive iron isotope values travel further out into the Arctic Ocean.
Elizabeth Verhoeven, Matti Barthel, Longfei Yu, Luisella Celi, Daniel Said-Pullicino, Steven Sleutel, Dominika Lewicka-Szczebak, Johan Six, and Charlotte Decock
Biogeosciences, 16, 383–408, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-383-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-383-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study utilized state-of-the-art measurements of nitrogen isotopes to evaluate nitrogen cycling and to assess the biological sources of the potent greenhouse gas, N2O, in response to water-saving practices in rice systems. Water-saving practices did emit more N2O, and high N2O production had a lower 15N isotope signature. Modeling and visual interpretation indicate that these emissions mostly came from denitrification or nitrifier denitrification, controlled upstream by nitrification rates.
Feifei Deng, Gideon M. Henderson, Maxi Castrillejo, Fiz F. Perez, and Reiner Steinfeldt
Biogeosciences, 15, 7299–7313, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7299-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7299-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
To better use Pa / Th to reconstruct deep water ventilation rate, we assessed controls on 230Th and 231Pa in the northern North Atlantic. With extended optimum multi-parameter analysis and CFC-based water-mass age, we found the imprint of young overflow water on Th and Pa and enhanced scavenging near the seafloor. A significantly higher advective loss of Pa to the south relative to Th in the Atlantic was estimated, supporting the use of Pa / Th for assessing basin-scale meridional transport.
Anne L. Morée, Jörg Schwinger, and Christoph Heinze
Biogeosciences, 15, 7205–7223, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7205-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7205-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Changes in the distribution of the carbon isotope 13C can be used to study the climate system if the governing processes (ocean circulation and biogeochemistry) are understood. We show the Southern Ocean importance for the global 13C distribution and that changes in 13C can be strongly influenced by biogeochemistry. Interpretation of 13C as a proxy for climate signals needs to take into account the effects of changes in biogeochemistry in addition to changes in ocean circulation.
Cited articles
4TU.Centre: Sources and Transformations of Anthropogenic Nitrogen along an Urban River-Estuarine Continuum, available at: http://doi.org/10.4121/uuid:e68c6141-f83e-4375-ac3b-088ddf4eff51, last access: 08 July 2016.
Aitkenhead-Peterson, J. A., Steele, M. K., Nahar, N., and Santhy, K.: Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in urban and rural watersheds of south-central Texas: land use and land management influences, Biogeochemistry, 96, 119–129, 2009.
Betlach, M. R. and Tiedje, J. M.: Kinetic explanation for accumulation of nitrite, nitric-oxide, and nitrous-oxide during bacterial denitrification, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 42, 1074–1084, 1981.
Billen, G., Somville, M., De Becker, E., and Servais, P.: A nitrogen budget of the Scheldt hydrographical basin, Neth. J. Sea Res., 19, 223–230, 1985.
Boesch, D. F., Brinsfield, R. B., and Magnien, R. E.: Chesapeake Bay eutrophication: Scientific understanding, ecosystem restoration, and challenges for agriculture, J. Environ. Qual., 30, 303–320, 2001.
Boynton, W. R., Garber, J. H., Summers, R., and Kemp, W. M.: Inputs, transformations, and transport of nitrogen and phosphorus in Chesapeake Bay and selected tributaries, Estuaries, 18, 285–314, 1995.
Boynton, W. R., Hagy, J. D., Cornwell, J. C., Kemp, W. M., Greene, S. M., Owens, M. S., Baker, J. E., and Larsen, R. K.: Nutrient budgets and management actions in the Patuxent River estuary, Maryland, Estuar. Coast., 31, 623–651, 2008.
Buda, A. R. and DeWalle, D. R.: Dynamics of stream nitrate sources and flow pathways during stormflows on urban, forest and agricultural watersheds in central Pennsylvania, USA, Hydrol. Process., 23, 3292–3305, 2009.
Burns, D. A. and Kendall, C.: Analysis of delta(15)N and delta(18)O to differentiate NO(3)(-) sources in runoff at two watersheds in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Water Resour. Res., 38, 1051, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001WR000292, 2002.
Burns, D. A., Boyer, E. W., Elliott, E. M., and Kendall, C.: Sources and Transformations of Nitrate from Streams Draining Varying Land Uses: Evidence from Dual Isotope Analysis, J. Environ. Qual., 38, 1149–1159, 2009.
Casciotti, K. L., Sigman, D. M., Hastings, M. G., Bohlke, J. K., and Hilkert, A.: Measurement of the oxygen isotopic composition of nitrate in seawater and freshwater using the denitrifier method, Anal. Chem., 74, 4905–4912, 2002.
Cerco, C., Kim, S. C., and Noel, M. R.: The 2010 Chesapeake Bay Eutrophication Model, A Report to the US Environmental Protection Agency and to the US Army Corps of Engineer Baltimore District, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MD, available at: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/content/publications/cbp_26167.pdf (last access: 7 May 2014), 2010.
Chesapeake Bay Program: CBP Water Quality Database (1984–present), http://www.chesapeakebay.net/data/downloads/cbp_water_quality_database_1984_present, last access: 29 October 2013.
Cornwell, J. C., Glibert, P. M., and Owens, M. S.: Nutrient Fluxes from Sediments in the San Francisco Bay Delta, Estuar. Coast., 37, 1120–1133, 2014.
Cornwell, J. C., Owens, M. S., Boynton, W. R., and Harris, L. A.: Sediment-Water Nitrogen Exchange along the Potomac River Estuarine Salinity Gradient, J. Coast. Res., 32, 776–787, 2016.
Crump, B. C. and Baross, J. A.: Particle-attached bacteria and heterotrophic plankton associated with the Columbia River estuarine turbidity maxima, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 138, 265–273, 1996.
Dawson, R. N. and Murphy, K. L.: Temperature dependency of biological denitrification, Water Res., 6, 71–83, 1972.
Divers, M. T., Elliott, E. M., and Bain, D. J.: Quantification of Nitrate Sources to an Urban Stream Using Dual Nitrate Isotopes, Environ. Sci. Technol., 48, 10580–10587, 2014.
Easterling, D. R., Meehl, G. A., Parmesan, C., Changnon, S. A., Karl, T. R., and Mearns, L. O.: Climate extremes: Observations, modeling, and impacts, Science, 289, 2068–2074, 2000.
Elliott, A. J.: The circulation and salinity distribution of the upper Potomac estuary Maryland USA, Chesapeake Science, 17, 141–147, 1976.
Elliott, A. J.: Observations of meteorologically induced circulation in Potomac estuary, Estuar. Coast. Mar. Sci., 6, 285–299, 1978.
Eyre, B. D. and Ferguson, A. J. P.: Benthic metabolism and nitrogen cycling in a subtropical east Australian Estuary (Brunswick): Temporal variability and controlling factors, Limnol. Oceanogr., 50, 81–96, 2005.
Fawcett, S. E., Ward, B. B., Lomas, M. W., and Sigman, D. M.: Vertical decoupling of nitrate assimilation and nitrification in the Sargasso Sea, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 103, 64–72, 2015.
Filoso, S. and Palmer, M. A.: Assessing stream restoration effectiveness at reducing nitrogen export to downstream waters, Ecol. Appl., 21, 1989–2006, 2011.
Fisher, T. R., Gustafson, A. B., Sellner, K., Lacouture, R., Haas, L. W., Wetzel, R. L., Magnien, R., Everitt, D., Michaels, B., and Karrh, R.: Spatial and temporal variation of resource limitation in Chesapeake Bay, Mar. Biol., 133, 763–778, 1999.
Fogel, M. and Cifuentes, L.: Isotope fractionation during primary production, Plenum Press, New York, 1993.
Gillooly, J. F., Brown, J. H., West, G. B., Savage, V. M., and Charnov, E. L.: Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate, Science, 293, 2248–2251, 2001.
Granger, J., Sigman, D. M., Needoba, J. A., and Harrison, P. J.: Coupled nitrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation of nitrate during assimilation by cultures of marine phytoplankton, Limnol. Oceanogr., 49, 1763–1773, 2004.
Granger, J., Sigman, D. M., Lehmann, M. F., and Tortell, P. D.: Nitrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation during dissimilatory nitrate reduction by denitrifying bacteria, Limnol. Oceanogr., 53, 2533–2545, 2008.
Hagy, J. D., Sanford, L. P., and Boynton, W. R.: Estimation of net physical transport and hydraulic residence times for a coastal plain estuary using box models, Estuaries, 23, 328–340, 2000.
Hamdan, L. J. and Jonas, R. B.: Seasonal and interannual dynamics of free-living bacterioplankton and microbially labile organic carbon along the salinity gradient of the Potomac River, Estuar. Coast., 29, 40–53, 2006.
Harris, L. A. and Brush, M. J.: Bridging the gap between empirical and mechanistic models of aquatic primary production with the metabolic theory of ecology: An example from estuarine ecosystems, Ecol. Modell., 233, 83–89, 2012.
Hopkinson, C. S. and Vallino, J. J.: The relationships among mans activities in watersheds and estuaries – a model of runoff effects on patterns of estuarine community metabolism, Estuaries, 18, 598–621, 1995.
Horrigan, S. G., Montoya, J. P., Nevins, J. L., and McCarthy, J. J.: Natural isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 30, 393–410, 1990.
IPCC: Climate Change 2007, The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, 2007.
Jaworski, N. A., Groffman, P. M., Keller, A. A., and Prager, J. C.: A watershed nitrogen and phosphorus balance – the upper Potomac River basin, Estuaries, 15, 83–95, 1992.
Jordan, T. E., Weller, D. E., and Correll, D. L.: Sources of nutrient inputs to the Patuxent River estuary, Estuaries, 26, 226–243, 2003.
Jordan, T. E., Cornwell, J. C., Boynton, W. R., and Anderson, J. T.: Changes in phosphorus biogeochemistry along an estuarine salinity gradient: The iron conveyer belt, Limnol. Oceanogr., 53, 172–184, 2008.
Karrh, R., Romano, W., Garrison, S., Michael, B., Hall, M., Coyne, K., Reynolds, D., and Ebersole, B.: Maryland Tributary Strategy Upper Potomac River Basin Summary Report for 1985–2005 Data, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2007a.
Karrh, R., Romano, W., Raves-Golden, R., Tango, P., Garrison, S., Michael, B., Baldizar, J., Trumbauer, C., Hall, M., Cole, B., Aadland, C., Trice, M., Coyne, K., Reynolds, D., Ebersole, B., and Karrh, L.: Maryland Tributary Strategy Lower Potomac River Basin Summary Report for 1985–2005 Data, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, 2007b.
Karsh, K. L., Granger, J., Kritee, K., and Sigman, D. M.: Eukaryotic Assimilatory Nitrate Reductase Fractionates N and O Isotopes with a Ratio near Unity, Environ. Sci. Technol., 46, 5727–5735, 2012.
Karsh, K. L., Trull, T. W., Sigman, D. M., Thompson, P. A., and Granger, J.: The contributions of nitrate uptake and efflux to isotope fractionation during algal nitrate assimilation, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 132, 391–412, 2014.
Kaushal, S. S. and Belt, K. T.: The urban watershed continuum: evolving spatial and temporal dimensions, Urban Ecosystems, 15, 409–435, 2012.
Kaushal, S. S., Likens, G. E., Jaworski, N. A., Pace, M. L., Sides, A. M., Seekell, D., Belt, K. T., Secor, D. H., and Wingate, R. L.: Rising stream and river temperatures in the United States, Front. Ecol. Environ., 8, 461–466, 2010a.
Kaushal, S. S., Pace, M. L., Groffman, P. M., Band, L. E., Belt, K. T., Mayer, P. M., and Welty, C.: Land use and climate variability amplify contaminant pulses, EOS, 91, 221–222, 2010b.
Kaushal, S. S., Groffman, P. M., Band, L. E., Elliott, E. M., Shields, C. A., and Kendall, C.: Tracking Nonpoint Source Nitrogen Pollution in Human-Impacted Watersheds, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45, 8225–8232, 2011.
Kaushal, S. S., Delaney-Newcomb, K., Findlay, S. E. G., Newcomer, T. A., Duan, S., Pennino, M. J., Sivirichi, G. M., Sides-Raley, A. M., Walbridge, M. R., and Belt, K. T.: Longitudinal patterns in carbon and nitrogen fluxes and stream metabolism along an urban watershed continuum, Biogeochemistry, 121, 23–44, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-014-9979-9, 2014a.
Kaushal, S. S., Mayer, P. M., Vidon, P. G., Smith, R. M., Pennino, M. J., Duan, S., Newcomer, T. A., Welty, C., and Belt, K. T.: Land use and climate variability amplify carbon, nutrient, and contaminant pulses: a review with management implications, J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 50, 585–614, 2014b.
Kaushal, S. S., McDowell, W. H., and Wollheim, W. M.: Tracking evolution of urban biogeochemical cycles: past, present, and future, Biogeochemistry, 121, 1–21, 2014c.
Kemp, W. M., Sampou, P., Caffrey, J., Mayer, M., Henriksen, K., and Boynton, W. R.: Ammonium recycling versus denitrification in Chesapeake Bay sediments, Limnol. Oceanogr., 35, 1545–1563, 1990.
Kendall, C., Elliott, E. M., and Wankel, S. D.: Tracing anthropogenic inputs of nitrogen to ecosystems, Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science, 2nd Edn., https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470691854.ch12, 375–449, 2007.
Lehmann, M. F., Reichert, P., Bernasconi, S. M., Barbieri, A., and McKenzie, J. A.: Modelling nitrogen and oxygen isotope fractionation during denitrification in a lacustrine redox-transition zone, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 67, 2529–2542, 2003.
Marconi, D., Weigand, M. A., Rafter, P. A., McIlvin, M. R., Forbes, M., Casciotti, K. L., and Sigman, D. M.: Nitrate isotope distributions on the US GEOTRACES North Atlantic cross-basin section: Signals of polar nitrate sources and low latitude nitrogen cycling, Mar. Chem., 177, 143–156, 2015.
Mariotti, A., Germon, J. C., Hubert, P., Kaiser, P., Letolle, R., Tardieux, A., and Tardieux, P.: Experimental-determination of nitrogen kinetic isotope fractionation – some principles – illustration for the denitrification and nitrification processes, Plant Soil, 62, 413–430, 1981.
Mayer, B., Bollwerk, S. M., Mansfeldt, T., Hutter, B., and Veizer, J.: The oxygen isotope composition of nitrate generated by nitrification in acid forest floors, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 65, 2743–2756, 2001.
Mayer, B., Boyer, E. W., Goodale, C., Jaworski, N. A., Van Breemen, N., Howarth, R. W., Seitzinger, S., Billen, G., Lajtha, L. J., Nosal, M., and Paustian, K.: Sources of nitrate in rivers draining sixteen watersheds in the northeastern US: Isotopic constraints, Biogeochemistry, 57, 171–197, 2002.
Middelburg, J. J. and Nieuwenhuize, J.: Nitrogen isotope tracing of dissolved inorganic nitrogen behaviour in tidal estuaries, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 53, 385–391, 2001.
Middelburg, J. J. and Nieuwenhuize, J.: Nitrogen uptake by heterotrophic bacteria and phytoplankton in the nitrate-rich Thames estuary, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 203, 13–21, 2000.
Milliman, J. D., Shen, H. T., Yang, Z. S., and Meade, R. H.: Transport and deposition of river sediment in the changjiang estuary and adjacent continental-shelf, Cont. Shelf Res., 4, 37–45, 1985.
Nixon, S. W., Ammerman, J. W., Atkinson, L. P., Berounsky, V. M., Billen, G., Boicourt, W. C., Boynton, W. R., Church, T. M., Ditoro, D. M., Elmgren, R., Garber, J. H., Giblin, A. E., Jahnke, R. A., Owens, N. J. P., Pilson, M. E. Q., and Seitzinger, S. P.: The fate of nitrogen and phosphorus at the land sea margin of the North Atlantic Ocean, Biogeochemistry, 35, 141–180, 1996.
Nowicki, B. L.: The effect of temperature, oxygen, salinity, and nutrient enrichment on estuarine denitrification rates measured with a modified nitrogen gas flux technique, Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 38, 137–156, 1994.
Oczkowski, A., Nixon, S., Henry, K., DiMilla, P., Pilson, M., Granger, S., Buckley, B., Thornber, C., McKinney, R., and Chaves, J.: Distribution and trophic importance of anthropogenic nitrogen in Narragansett Bay: An assessment using stable isotopes, Estuar. Coast., 31, 53–69, 2008.
Officer, C. B.: Box models revisited, in: Estuarine and wetland processes, with emphasis on modeling, edited by: Hamilton, P. and Macdonald, K. B., Plenum Press, New York and London, 1980.
Paerl, H. W., Valdes, L. M., Piehler, M. F., and Stow, C. A.: Assessing the effects of nutrient management in an estuary experiencing climatic change: The Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina, Environ. Manage., 37, 422–436, 2006.
Parnell, A. C., Inger, R., Bearhop, S., and Jackson, A. L.: Source Partitioning Using Stable Isotopes: Coping with Too Much Variation, Plos One, 5, 2010.
Parnell, A. C., Phillips, D. L., Bearhop, S., Semmens, B. X., Ward, E. J., Moore, J. W., Jackson, A. L., Grey, J., Kelly, D. J., and Inger, R.: Bayesian stable isotope mixing models, Environmetrics, 24, 387–399, 2013.
Petrone, K. C.: Catchment export of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus across an agro-urban land use gradient, Swan-Canning River system, southwestern Australia, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 115, G01016, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JG001051, 2010.
Pfenning, K. S. and McMahon, P. B.: Effect of nitrate, organic carbon, and temperature on potential denitrification rates in nitrate-rich riverbed sediments, J. Hydrol., 187, 283–295, 1997.
Pritchard, D. W.: The dynamic structure of a coastal plain estuary, J. Mar. Res., 15, 33–42, 1956.
R Development Core Team: http://www.R-project.org (last access: 15 June 2016), 2013.
Rafter, P. A., DiFiore, P. J., and Sigman, D. M.: Coupled nitrate nitrogen and oxygen isotopes and organic matter remineralization in the Southern and Pacific Oceans, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 118, 4781–4794, 2013.
Sanford, L. P., Suttles, S. E., and Halka, J. P.: Reconsidering the physics of the Chesapeake Bay estuarine turbidity maximum, Estuaries, 24, 655–669, 2001.
Saunders, M. A. and Lea, A. S.: Large contribution of sea surface warming to recent increase in Atlantic hurricane activity, Nature, 451, 557–553, 2008.
Sigman, D. M., Casciotti, K. L., Andreani, M., Barford, C., Galanter, M., and Bohlke, J. K.: A bacterial method for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of nitrate in seawater and freshwater, Anal. Chem., 73, 4145–4153, 2001.
Smart, S. M., Fawcett, S. E., Thomalla, S. J., Weigand, M. A., Reason, C. J. C., and Sigman, D. M.: Isotopic evidence for nitrification in the Antarctic winter mixed layer, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 29, 427–445, 2015.
Testa, J. M., Kemp, W. M., Boynton, W. R., and Hagy, J. D.: Long-Term Changes in Water Quality and Productivity in the Patuxent River Estuary: 1985 to 2003, Estuar. Coast., 31, 1021–1037, 2008.
US-EPA: Clean Water Act, United States Environmental Protection Agency, http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/cwa.cfm (last access: 19 June 2014), 1972.
US-EPA: US Environmental Protection Agency, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/ (last access: 19 June 2014), 2009.
US-EPA: US Environmental Protection Agency, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program, 2011.
US EPA: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) per County Downloadable Package, US, 2013, US Environmental Protection Agency, http://catalog.data.gov/dataset/concentrated-animal-feeding, last access: 22 September 2016.
USGS: US Geological Survey Surface Water Data, http://waterdata.usgs.gov/md/nwis/uv?01646500 (last access: 11 June 2014), 2014.
Vavilin, V. A.: Describing a Kinetic Effect of Fractionation of Stable Nitrogen Isotopes in Nitrification Process, Water Resour., 41, 325–329, 2014.
Vavilin, V. A., Rytov, S. V., and Lokshina, L. Y.: Non-linear dynamics of nitrogen isotopic signature based on biological kinetic model of uptake and assimilation of ammonium, nitrate and urea by a marine diatom, Ecol. Modell., 279, 45–53, 2014.
Vitousek, P. M., Aber, J. D., Howarth, R. W., Likens, G. E., Matson, P. A., Schindler, D. W., Schlesinger, W. H., and Tilman, D.: Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences, Ecol. Appl., 7, 737–750, 1997.
Wang, S. Q., Tang, C. Y., Song, X. F., Yuan, R. Q., Wang, Q. X., and Zhang, Y. H.: Using major ions and delta N-15-NO3- to identify nitrate sources and fate in an alluvial aquifer of the Baiyangdian lake watershed, North China Plain, Environmental Science-Processes & Impacts, 15, 1430–1443, 2013.
Wankel, S. D., Kendall, C., Francis, C. A., and Paytan, A.: Nitrogen sources and cycling in the San Francisco Bay Estuary: A nitrate dual isotopic composition approach, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 1654–1664, 2006.
Waser, N. A., Yin, K. D., Yu, Z. M., Tada, K., Harrison, P. J., Turpin, D. H., and Calvert, S. E.: Nitrogen isotope fractionation during nitrate, ammonium and urea uptake by marine diatoms and coccolithophores under various conditions of N availability, Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser., 169, 29–41, 1998a.
Waser, N. A. D., Harrison, P. J., Nielsen, B., Calvert, S. E., and Turpin, D. H.: Nitrogen isotope fractionation during the uptake and assimilation of nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and urea by a marine diatom, Limnol. Oceanogr., 43, 215–224, 1998b.
Wiegert, R. G. and Penaslado, E.: Nitrogen-pulsed systems on the coast of northwest Spain, Estuaries, 18, 622–635, 1995.
Xue, D. M., De Baets, B., Van Cleemput, O., Hennessy, C., Berglund, M., and Boeckx, P.: Use of a Bayesian isotope mixing model to estimate proportional contributions of multiple nitrate sources in surface water, Environ. Pollut., 161, 43–49, 2012.
Yang, Y. Y. and Toor, G. S.: delta N-15 and delta O-18 Reveal the Sources of Nitrate-Nitrogen in Urban Residential Stormwater Runoff, Environ. Sci. Technol., 50, 2881–2889, 2016.
Short summary
The results of this paper report the analysis of the fate and transport of wastewater and anthropogenic nitrogen along the Potomac River estuary, from Washington D.C. to the Chesapeake Bay. In conjunction with a mass balance approach, nitrate isotopes were used to estimate fluxes and trace the sources and transformations of N along the estuary. This study shows that estuaries have a large capacity to transform N inputs, but with large seasonal variability due to hydrological extremes.
The results of this paper report the analysis of the fate and transport of wastewater and...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint