MEAD: an interdisciplinary study of the marine effects of atmospheric deposition in the Kattegat

This paper summarises the results of the EU funded MEAD project, an interdisciplinary study of the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the Kattegat Sea between Denmark and Sweden. The study considers emissions of reactive nitrogen gases, their transport, transformations, deposition and effects on algal growth together with management options to reduce these effects. We conclude that atmospheric deposition is an important source of fixed nitrogen to the region particularly in summer, when nitrogen is the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, and contributes to the overall eutrophication pressures in this region. However, we also conclude that it is unlikely that atmospheric deposition can, on its own, induce algal blooms in this region. A reduction of atmospheric nitrogen loads to this region will require strategies to reduce emissions of ammonia from local agriculture and Europe wide reductions in nitrous oxide emissions.     

RETENTION BASIN FAILURES IN CARBONATE TERRANES1

ABSTRACT Sinkholes and subsidence in areas subject to dewatering of carbonate formations have been documented in several geologic and hydrologic investigations. Excessive ground-water pumpage has been cited as a causative factor in areas of increased sinkhole activity. Subsurface erosion of unconsolidated materials underlain by carbonate rocks is one cause of the collapses. Infiltrating water from retention basins may cause subsurface erosion and eventual failure by collapse of the structure. The resulting ground-water contamination would be great as the pollutants spread throughout the solution-cavity system.     

Analysis of Sediment Retention in Western Riverine Wetlands: The Yampa River Watershed,Colorado, USA

We quantified annual sediment deposition, bank erosion, and sediment budgets in nine riverine wetlands that represented a watershed continuum for 1 year in the unregulated Yampa River drainage basin in Colorado. One site was studied for 2 years to compare responses to peak flow variability. Annual mean sediment deposition ranged from 0.01 kg/m² along a first-order subalpine stream to 21.8 kg/m² at a sixth-order alluvial forest. Annual mean riverbank erosion ranged from 3 kg/m-of-bank at the first-order site to 1000 kg/m at the 6^th-order site. Total sediment budgets were nearly balanced at six sites, while net export from bank erosion occurred at three sites. Both total sediment deposition (R² = 0.86, p < 0.01) and bank erosion (R² = 0.77, p < 0.01) were strongly related to bankfull height, and channel sinuosity and valley confinement helped to explain additional variability among sites. The texture and organic fraction of eroded and deposited sediment were relatively similar in most sites and varied among sites by watershed position. Our results indicate that bank erosion generally balances sediment deposition in riverine wetlands, and we found no distinct zones of sediment retention versus export on a watershed continuum. Zones of apparent disequilibrium can occur in unregulated rivers due to factors such as incised channels, beaver activity, and cattle grazing. A primary function of many western riverine wetlands is sediment exchange, not retention, which may operate by transforming materials and compounds in temporary sediment pools on floodplains. These results are considered in the context of the Hydrogeomorphic approach being implemented by the U.S. government for wetland resource management.     

Nitrogen Balance in the Lower Fraser River Basin of British Columbia

/ A study was conducted to determine the extent of nitrogenpollution in agricultural lands in the Lower Fraser River basin of BritishColumbia, Canada. The specific objectives were to determine the distributionof leachable nitrogenand estimate the nitrogen concentration in groundwaterrecharges. Nitrogen and water mass balances were conducted on the entirebasin and on each of the four districts comprising it over the period1971-1991 in intervals of five years. The results indicated that the averagenitrogen concentration in the groundwater recharge for the entire basin rosefrom nondetectable in 1971 to 6 mg/liter in 1991. Estimates for theindividual districts ranged from 4 to 14 mg/liter in Central Fraser and fromnondetectable to 7 mg/liter in Fraser-Cheam and 3 mg/liter in both GreaterVancouver and Dewdney-Alouette. So far, excessive levels of nitrogen areconfined to Central Fraser. Although they have remained within the acceptablerange, nitrogen concentrations in the other three districts have definitelyincreased over the 20-year study period. Sensitivity analyses indicated thatanimal manure and fertilizer had the largest contribution in groundwaterrecharge. Decreasing the rate of manure application to agricultural lands issuggested as the most practical way of reducing nitrogen pollution in CentralFraser.KEY WORDS: Nitrogen balance; Water balance; Sensitivity analysis     

Acid-forming emissions in Alberta,Canada

The sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from all sources in Alberta, Canada, during 1982 amounted to 488,297 and 353,511 tonnes, respectively. During this year deposition of wet sulphate from all stations in the province, 8 kg ha^–1 yr^–1, compares well with the five-year average (1978–1982) value of 10 kg ha^–1 yr^–1. These measurements are about one-half of the wet sulphate deposition criteria of 20 kg ha^–1 yr^–1 established for protecting the moderately sensitive aquatic ecosystem in eastern Canada. Due to dry, cold, continental climate conditions of Alberta, dry sulphate or sulphur deposition is equally or more important than wet deposition. No effects of the long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants (LRTAP) on the ecosystems in Alberta have been observed to date. Atmospheric deposition target loadings of SO₄ ^–2, NO₃ ^–, and H⁺ for Alberta and western Canadian environmental conditions should be developed to protect the highly sensitive ecosystems. Some future research and monitoring priorities for Alberta and western Canada are outlined.     

Eutrophication of Buttermilk Bay,a cape cod coastal embayment: Concentrations of nutrients and watershed nutrient budgets

Nutrient concentrations in Buttermilk Bay, a coastal embayment on the northern end of Buzzards Bay, MA, are higher in the nearshore where salinities are lower. This pattern suggests that freshwater sources may contribute significantly to nutrient inputs into Buttermilk Bay. To evaluate the relative importance of the various sources we estimated inputs of nutrients by each major source into the watershed and into the bay itself. Septic systems contributed about 40% of the nitrogen and phosphorus entering the watershed, with precipitation and fertilizer use adding the remainder. Groundwater transported over 85% of the nitrogen and 75% of the phosphorus entering the bay. Most nutrients entering the watershed failed to reach the bay; uptake by forests, soils, denitrification, and adsorption intercepted two-thirds of the nitrogen and nine-tenths of the phosphorus that entered the watershed. The nutrients that did reach the bay most likely originated from subsoil injections into groundwater by septic tanks, plus some leaching of fertilizers.Buttermilk Bay water has relatively low nutrient concentrations, probably because of uptake of nutrients by macrophytes and because of relatively rapid tidal flushing. Annual budgets of nutrients entering the watershed showed a low nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio of 6, but passage of nutrients through the watershed raised N/P to 23, probably because of adsorption of PO₄ during transit. The N/P ratio of water that leaves the watershed and presumably enters the bay is probably high enough to maintain active growth of nitrogenlimited coastal producers. There is a seasonal shift in N/P in the water column of Buttermilk Bay. N/P exceeded the 161 Redfield ratio during midwinter; the remainder of the year N/P fell below 161. This suggests that annual budgets do not provide sufficiently detailed data with which to interpret nutrient-limitation of producers. Further, some idea of water turnover is also needed to evaluate impact of loading rates. Urbanization of watersheds seems to increase loadings to nearshore environments, and to shift the nutrient loadings delivered to coastal waters to relatively high N-to-P ratios, potentially stimulating growth of nitrogen-limited primary producers.     

Effects of stream channelization on exports of nitrogen and phosphorus from north Carolina coastal plain watersheds

Nitrogen and phosphorus exports from channelizedstream watersheds were elevated over those from nearby natural swamp-stream watersheds. Nitrate exports were significantly greater from channelized-stream watersheds, and higher exports were attributed to faster groundwater drawdown, continual streamflow, and transformation of former floodplain to croplands following channelization. Exports of total organic nitrogen and total nitrogen were also significantly greater from channelized-stream watersheds. Differences in the exports of ammonium, filterable reactive phosphorus, and filterable unreactive phosphorus between the two watershed types were not detectable. Particulate phosphorus exports were significantly higher from channelized-stream watersheds, presumably because of greater erosion potential of nearby croplands and steep channel banks in the altered watersheds. The presence of nonpoint sources of pollution increased watershed exports of nutrients regardless of stream morphology. Examination of nutrient budgets for a portion of swamp floodplain at the base of one natural-stream watershed revealed that changes in local groundwater hydrology and stream morphology associated with channelization appeared to have greater effect on nutrient exports than simply the loss of bordering forested floodplain.     

固定源排气中氮氧化物的测定

由于没有单独测定二氧化氮的方法标准、二氧化氮标准气体和测定二氧化氮便携式(电化学传感器)仪器标准,目前不能利用标准气体评价二氧化氮便携式(电化学传感器)仪器的性能;但是,可采用将NO2还原成NO后用化学发光法、非分散红外线法或电化学传感器法测定氮氧化物。     

Long- and short-chain AHLs affect AOA and AOB microbial community composition and ammonia oxidation rate in activated sludge

Quorum sensing (QS) regulation of the composition of ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) communities and functions in wastewater treatment was investigated. Specifically, we explored the role of N-acyl-l-homoserine lactones (AHLs) in microbial community dynamics in activated sludge. On average, the specific ammonia-oxidising-rate increased from 1.6 to 2.8?mg?NH₄⁺-N/g?MLSS/hr after treatment with long-chain AHLs for 16?days, and the addition of AHLs to sludge resulted in an increased number of AOA/AOB amoA genes. Significant differences were observed in the AOA communities of control and AHL-treated cultures, but not the AOB community. Furthermore, the dominant functional AOA strains of the Crenarchaeota altered their ecological niche in response to AHL addition. These results provide evidence that AHLs play an important role in mediating AOA/AOB microbial community parameters and demonstrate the potential for application of QS to the regulation of nitrogen compound metabolism in wastewater treatment.     

Impact of land-use types on nitrate concentration and δN in unconfined groundwater in rural areas of Korea

An understanding of the long-term changes in the nitrate contamination pattern of unconfined groundwater is critical to conservation of drinking water in rural areas supporting mixed land-use activities such as cropping, livestock farming, and residence. To examine the effect of different land-use activities on nitrate contamination, groundwater samples were collected monthly for 3 years (1997–1999) from 12 wells in rural areas with different land-use activities and analyzed for the concentrations and N isotopic ratios (δ¹⁵N) of nitrate. The characteristics of nitrate contamination clearly differed with land-use activities. The percentages of samples that had a nitrate concentration exceeding the national standard for drinking water (10 mg N L⁻¹) were 0, 23, 43, and 67% for the uncontaminated natural area, cropping area, cropping-livestock farming complex area, and residential area, respectively. The range of δ¹⁵N values was between +1.4 and +4.5‰ for groundwater nitrate from the uncontaminated natural area. In the cropping area, the δ¹⁵N values were slightly different with the type of fertilizer applied to fields in the vicinity of the well, and the values ranged between +8.7 and +14.4‰ for the compost-applied area and between +4.5 and +8.5‰ for the area where urea was applied with compost. The δ¹⁵N values of the cropping-livestock farming complex area ranged from +1.0 to +17.7‰, probably resulting from mixed contamination sources (inorganic fertilizer and livestock manure). The well located closest to the livestock feedlot had relatively higher δ¹⁵N values, with a range between +8.7 and +17.6‰. In the residential area, a higher δ¹⁵N (most frequently above +10‰) of nitrate suggested that the major source of contamination was effluent from leaky septic tanks. Our data showed that unconfined groundwater is susceptible to land-use activities above the aquifers, and the impacts of the activities could be more precisely inferred from long-term data on the concentration and δ¹⁵N of nitrate. By determining the impacts, more effective (specific to contamination sources) measures for preventing groundwater quality could be implemented.