Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost
Summary 1. Riparian zones function as important ecotones that reduce nitrate concentration in groundwater and inputs into streams. In the boreal forest of interior Alaska, permafrost confines subsurface flow through the riparian zone to shallow organic horizons, where plant uptake of nitrate and den...
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x 2024-06-02T08:12:55+00:00 Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost O'DONNELL, JONATHAN A. JONES, JEREMY B. 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2427.2006.01535.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Freshwater Biology volume 51, issue 5, page 854-864 ISSN 0046-5070 1365-2427 journal-article 2006 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x 2024-05-03T11:13:33Z Summary 1. Riparian zones function as important ecotones that reduce nitrate concentration in groundwater and inputs into streams. In the boreal forest of interior Alaska, permafrost confines subsurface flow through the riparian zone to shallow organic horizons, where plant uptake of nitrate and denitrification are typically high. 2. In this study, riparian zone nitrogen retention was examined in a high permafrost catchment (approximately 53% of land area underlain by permafrost) and a low permafrost catchment (approximately 3%). To estimate the contribution of the riparian zone to catchment nitrogen retention, we analysed groundwater chemistry using an end‐member mixing model. 3. Stream nitrate concentration was over twofold greater in the low permafrost catchment than the high permafrost catchment. Riparian groundwater was not significantly different between catchments, averaging 13 μ m overall. Nitrogen retention, measured using the end‐member mixing model, averaged 0.75 and 0.22 mmol N m −2 day −1 in low and high permafrost catchments, respectively, over the summer. The retention rate of nitrogen in the riparian zone was 10–15% of the export in stream flow. 4. Our results indicate that the riparian zone functions as an important sink for groundwater nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, differences in stream nitrate and DOC concentrations between catchments cannot be explained by solute inputs from riparian groundwater to the stream and differences between streams are probably attributable to deeper groundwater inputs or flows from springs that bypass the riparian zone. Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost Alaska Wiley Online Library Freshwater Biology 51 5 854 864 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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English |
description |
Summary 1. Riparian zones function as important ecotones that reduce nitrate concentration in groundwater and inputs into streams. In the boreal forest of interior Alaska, permafrost confines subsurface flow through the riparian zone to shallow organic horizons, where plant uptake of nitrate and denitrification are typically high. 2. In this study, riparian zone nitrogen retention was examined in a high permafrost catchment (approximately 53% of land area underlain by permafrost) and a low permafrost catchment (approximately 3%). To estimate the contribution of the riparian zone to catchment nitrogen retention, we analysed groundwater chemistry using an end‐member mixing model. 3. Stream nitrate concentration was over twofold greater in the low permafrost catchment than the high permafrost catchment. Riparian groundwater was not significantly different between catchments, averaging 13 μ m overall. Nitrogen retention, measured using the end‐member mixing model, averaged 0.75 and 0.22 mmol N m −2 day −1 in low and high permafrost catchments, respectively, over the summer. The retention rate of nitrogen in the riparian zone was 10–15% of the export in stream flow. 4. Our results indicate that the riparian zone functions as an important sink for groundwater nitrate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). However, differences in stream nitrate and DOC concentrations between catchments cannot be explained by solute inputs from riparian groundwater to the stream and differences between streams are probably attributable to deeper groundwater inputs or flows from springs that bypass the riparian zone. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
O'DONNELL, JONATHAN A. JONES, JEREMY B. |
spellingShingle |
O'DONNELL, JONATHAN A. JONES, JEREMY B. Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
author_facet |
O'DONNELL, JONATHAN A. JONES, JEREMY B. |
author_sort |
O'DONNELL, JONATHAN A. |
title |
Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
title_short |
Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
title_full |
Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
title_fullStr |
Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
title_full_unstemmed |
Nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
title_sort |
nitrogen retention in the riparian zone of catchments underlain by discontinuous permafrost |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2427.2006.01535.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x |
genre |
permafrost Alaska |
genre_facet |
permafrost Alaska |
op_source |
Freshwater Biology volume 51, issue 5, page 854-864 ISSN 0046-5070 1365-2427 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01535.x |
container_title |
Freshwater Biology |
container_volume |
51 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
854 |
op_container_end_page |
864 |
_version_ |
1800759502308376576 |