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- Title
Reservoirs are hotspots of nitrogen cycling in peatland catchments.
- Authors
Edokpa, D. A.; Evans, M. G.; Rothwell, J. J.
- Abstract
This study presents input--output budgets of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic N (DON) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) for a reservoir in a peatland catchment in the south Pennines (UK). This site receives high levels of atmospheric inorganic N deposition, in the range of 26 kg N ha-1 yr-1. The results show that the reservoir retains ~21 to 31% of the annual TDN input (8806 ± 741 kgN). Approximately 39 to 55% of DON (3782 ± 653 kgN) and 6 to 13% of DIN (5024 ± 349 kgN) were retained/processed. A long water retention time (104 days), average annual pH of 6.5, high concentrations of DIN in the reservoir water and a deep water column suggest that denitri?cation is potentially a key mechanism of N retention/removal. The results also demonstrate that DON is potentially photodegraded and utilized within the reservoir, particularly during the summer season when 58 to 80% of DON input (682 ± 241 kgN) was retained, and a net export of DIN (~34 kgN) was observed. The ?ndings therefore suggest that DON may play a more crucial role in the biogeochemistry of peat-dominated acid sensitive upland freshwater systems than previously thought. Reservoirs, impoundments and large lakes in peatland catchments may be important sites in mediating downstream N transport and speciation.
- Subjects
NITROGEN in water; WATERSHEDS; PEATLANDS; RESERVOIRS; FRESH water
- Publication
Hydrological Processes, 2016, Vol 30, Issue 20, p3627
- ISSN
0885-6087
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/hyp.10892