Nitrogen Fluxes and Retention in Urban Watershed Ecosystems

Groffman, Peter M.; Law, Neely; Belt, Kenneth T.; Band, Lawrence E.; Fisher, Gary T.

doi:10.1007/s10021-003-0039-x

Cited by 356 publications

(415 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…By comparison, annual N retention in suburban watersheds of the Northeast ranged from 35 to 85% of annual inputs. 2,4,6,7 Much of the variation in DIN retention was due to variation in runoff, as has been observed at annual scales. 4,7 The proportion of DIN retained by each watershed was significantly related to the event runoff coefficient (runoff/precipitation; analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), F (1, 25) = 28.72, p < 0.0001), and there was a significant interaction with the number of noflow days preceding the storm (ANCOVA: F (1,25) = 5.231, p = 0.03, Figure 2), although no-flow days alone was not a significant predictor (ANCOVA: F (1,25) = 2.199, p = 0.15).…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Sources and Transport of Nitrogen in Arid Urban Watersheds

Hale

Turnbull

Earl

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Urban watersheds are often sources of nitrogen (N) to downstream systems, contributing to poor water quality. However, it is unknown which components (e.g., land cover and stormwater infrastructure type) of urban watersheds contribute to N export and which may be sites of retention. In this study we investigated which watershed characteristics control N sourcing, biogeochemical processing of nitrate (NO 3 − ) during storms, and the amount of rainfall N that is retained within urban watersheds. We used triple isotopes of NO 3 − (δ 15 N, δ 18 O, and Δ 17 O) to identify sources and transformations of NO 3 − during storms from 10 nested arid urban watersheds that varied in stormwater infrastructure type and drainage area. Stormwater infrastructure and land coverretention basins, pipes, and grass cover dictated the sourcing of NO 3 − in runoff. Urban watersheds were strong sinks or sources of N to stormwater depending on runoff, which in turn was inversely related to retention basin density and positively related to imperviousness and precipitation. Our results suggest that watershed characteristics control the sources and transport of inorganic N in urban stormwater but that retention of inorganic N at the time scale of individual runoff events is controlled by hydrologic, rather than biogeochemical, mechanisms.

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Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Sources and Transport of Nitrogen in Arid Urban Watersheds

Hale

Turnbull

Earl

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…[14] Water quality samples are collected at sites within the Gwynns Falls and at two nearby sites in the Gunpowder Falls watershed [Groffman et al, 2004] [Law, 2003]. However, some small areas on septic still exist in the Gwynnbrook catchment, and the Baisman Run catchment has no sanitary sewer infrastructure with all development on septic systems.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…[15] Land use change associated with urbanization over the last few decades has been shown to increase storm water runoff in these catchments [Brun and Band, 2000] and reduce ecosystem nutrient retention by decreased infiltration and residence time in soil, groundwater and hyporheic zones [e.g., Groffman et al, 2004]. Coupled water, carbon and nitrogen cycling in the forest reference site were discussed by Band et al [2001] who recognized riparian areas as a primary source of growing season nitrate export with the highest stream water nitrate concentrations sampled at the lowest flows.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…catchments which cover a range of land use from forest, low-density suburban, urban and agriculture. We estimated total nitrogen (TN) and NO 3 À concentrations for nonsampled days using a bin-averaging approach, similar to that described by Groffman et al [2004] (working on these same watersheds) and Quilbé et al [2006]. In this method, concentrations of NO 3 À and TN samples are sorted and grouped by discharge to generate bins with a minimum of three samples.…”

Section: Total Nitrogen and No 3 à Load Estimates And Cumulative Freqmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Streamflow distribution of non–point source nitrogen export from urban‐rural catchments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Shields

Band

Law

et al. 2008

Water Resources Research

Self Cite

140

122

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[1] Nitrogen (N) export from urban and urbanizing watersheds is a major contributor to water quality degradation and eutrophication of receiving water bodies. Methods to reduce N exports using best management practices (BMP) have targeted both source reduction and hydrologic flow path retention. Stream restoration is a BMP targeted to multiple purposes but includes increasing flow path retention to improve water quality. As restorations are typically most effective at lower discharge rates with longer residence times, distribution of N load by stream discharge is a significant influence on catchment nitrogen retention. We explore impacts of urbanization on magnitude and export flow distribution of nitrogen along an urban-rural gradient in a set of catchments studied by the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES). We test the hypotheses that N export magnitude increases and cumulative N export shifts to higher, less frequent discharge with catchment urbanization. We find that increasing development in watersheds is associated with shifts in nitrogen export toward higher discharge, while total magnitude of export does not show as strong a trend. Forested reference, low-density suburban, and agricultural catchments export most of the total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate (NO 3 À ) loads at relatively low flows. More urbanized sites export TN and NO 3 À at higher and less frequent flows. The greatest annual loads of nitrogen are from less developed agricultural and low-density residential (suburban/exurban) areas; the latter is the most rapidly growing land use in expanding metropolitan areas. A simple statistical model relating export distribution metrics to impervious surface area is then used to extrapolate parameters of the N export distribution across the Gwynns Falls watershed in Baltimore County. This spatial extrapolation has potential applications as a tool for predictive mapping of variations in export distribution and targeting stream channel restoration efforts at the watershed scale.

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“…Plants can also provide soil stabilization, which allows soil organism communities to develop. Riparian soils then are able provide important ecosystem functions such as nitrogen retention important in areas with significant upstream nitrogen fluxes (Groffman et al 2003(Groffman et al , 2004 and thus reduce the risk of soil erosion and eutrophication.…”

Section: Ecological Foundationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Double Insurance in Dealing with Extremes: Ecological and Social Factors for Making Nature-Based Solutions Last

Andersson

Borgström

McPhearson

2017

Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions

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Global urbanisation has led to extreme population densities often in areas prone to problems such as extreme heat, storm surges, coastal and surface flooding, droughts and fires. Although nature based solutions (NBS) often have specific targets, one of the overarching objectives with NBS design and implementation is to protect human livelihoods and well-being, not least by protecting real estate and built infrastructure. However, NBS need to be integrated and spatially and functionally matched with other land uses, which requires that their contribution to society is recognised. This chapter will present an ecologically grounded, resilience theory and social-ecological systems perspective on NBS, with a main focus on how functioning ecosystems contribute to the 'solutions'. We will outline some of the basic principles and frameworks for studying and including insurance value in work towards climate change adaptation and resilience, with a special emphasis on the need to address both internal and external insurance. As we will demonstrate through real world examples as well as theory, NBS should be treated as dynamic components nested within larger systems and influenced by social as well as ecological factors. Governance processes seeking to build urban resilience to climate change in cities and other urban dynamics will need to consider both layers of insurance in order to utilize the powerful role NBS can play in creating sustainable, healthy, and liveable urban systems.

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Nitrogen Fluxes and Retention in Urban Watershed Ecosystems

Cited by 356 publications

References 54 publications

Sources and Transport of Nitrogen in Arid Urban Watersheds

Sources and Transport of Nitrogen in Arid Urban Watersheds

Streamflow distribution of non–point source nitrogen export from urban‐rural catchments in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Double Insurance in Dealing with Extremes: Ecological and Social Factors for Making Nature-Based Solutions Last

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