Wastewater influences nitrogen dynamics in a coastal catchment during a prolonged drought

Details

• Journal Title:
  Limnology and Oceanography
• Personal Author:
  Bruesewitz, Denise A. ; Hoellein, Timothy J. ; Mooney, Rae F. ; Gardner, Wayne S. ; Buskey, Edward J.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NOS (National Ocean Service) ; OCM (Office for Coastal Management)
• Description:
  Ecosystem function measurements can enhance our understanding of nitrogen (N) delivery in coastal catchments across river and estuary ecosystems. Here, we contrast patterns of N cycling and export in two rivers, one heavily influenced by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), in a coastal catchment of south Texas. We measured N export from both rivers to the estuary over 2 yr that encompass a severe drought, along with detailed mechanisms of N cycling in river, tidal river, and two estuary sites during prolonged drought. WWTP nutrient inputs stimulated uptake of N, but denitrification resulting in permanent N removal accounted for only a small proportion of total uptake. During drought periods, WWTP N was the primary source of exported N to the estuary, minimizing the influence of episodic storm‐derived nutrients from the WWTP‐influenced river to the estuary. In the site without WWTP influence, the river exported very little N during drought, so storm‐derived nutrient pulses were important for delivering N loads to the estuary. Overall, N is processed from river to estuary, but sustained WWTP‐N loads and periodic floods alter the timing of N delivery and N processing. Research that incorporates empirical measurements of N fluxes from river to estuary can inform management needs in the face of multiple anthropogenic stressors such as demand for freshwater and eutrophication.
• Keywords:
  Coasts Droughts Sewage
• Source:
  imnol Oceanogr. 2017 Nov; 62(Suppl Suppl 1): S239–S257.
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10576
• Pubmed ID:
  29263559
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5726386
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Rights Information:
  CC BY-NC
• Compliance:
  PMC
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a61945521186f2bfce7cc8e0756c22e3b135f061426cb2969d3bc382bb7e6fab39603c9ea10e0c5e8d63d05c6baee1e44dabed6f5fbc573ca0c8ce519f417cf3
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/26280/noaa_26280_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 802.42 KB ]