Nutrients in precipitation and the phytoplankton responses to enrichment in surface waters of the Albemarle Peninsula, NC, USA after the establishment of a large-scale chicken egg farm

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) released in waste from animal feeding operations can stimulate phytoplankton biomass production in local receiving waters. Changes in weekly wet atmospheric N and P were measured from 2005 to 2008 at monitoring stations located 0.8, 7.9, and 10.3 km downwind from a new chicken egg production facility on the Albemarle Peninsula, North Carolina. After this farm began operating, there was a significant doubling in mean wet NH 4 ? concentrations (465-1,022 lg l -1 ) at 0.8 km with no change at the other sites. To measure the phytoplankton responses to nutrient enrichment, we conducted seasonal N and P enrichment bioassays from 2006 to 2008 on nearby Phelps Lake and Alligator River. These low-nutrient waters responded to nutrient additions, with the highest increases in phytoplankton primary productivity ( 14 C uptake) and biomass (chlorophyll a) occurring in the combined N and P treatments suggesting co-limitation of N and P. Although we did not find an increased nutrient signal in precipitation at sites [0.8 km from the farm, there is the potential for atmospheric deposition of N to these and other waters located N/NE of the farm given prevailing winds and distance that NH 4 ? aerosols can travel. Furthermore, surface runoff from the farm may impact receiving waters downstream (e.g., Pungo and Pamlico Rivers). In order to prevent excessive phytoplankton productivity and biomass both N and P inputs should be carefully assessed and potentially controlled in these nutrient-sensitive waters.

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