Seepage of Groundwater Nitrate from a Riparian Agroecosystem into the Wye River Estuary

Staver, K. W.; Brinsfield, R. B.

doi:10.2307/1352456

Cited by 48 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Groundwater discharge contributes nitrate directly to tidal estuaries adjacent to the Delmarva Peninsula through submarine groundwater discharge (Reay and others, 1992;Gallagher and others, 1996;Speiran, 1996;Staver and Brinsfield, 1996;Bratton and others, 2004) as well as to nontidal tributary streams ( fig. 27).…”

Section: Nitrogenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hydrogeologic conditions in many areas are conducive to nitrate transport from groundwater to streams, however, and 70 percent of the nitrogen load from Eastern Shore streams to Chesapeake Bay reaches streams as nitrate through groundwater (Domagalski and others, 2008;. Hydrogeologic conditions in aquifer discharge areas and the resulting interactions between groundwater and surface waters are complex and variable among and within individual streams, and nitrate contributions from groundwater may occur through diffuse or spatially concentrated seepage through the streambed or along flood-plain seeps (Domagalski and others, 2008;Knee and Jordan, 2013).Groundwater discharge contributes nitrate directly to tidal estuaries adjacent to the Delmarva Peninsula through submarine groundwater discharge (Reay and others, 1992; Gallagher and others, 1996;Speiran, 1996;Staver and Brinsfield, 1996; Bratton and others, 2004) as well as to nontidal tributary streams ( fig. 27).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Ator¹,

Denver²

2015

Circular

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), onlineFor more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. SEE CHAPTER 2The Eastern Shore ( fig. 1) includes only a small part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but contributes disproportionately large loads of the excess nitrogen and phosphorus that have contributed to ecological and economic degradation of the bay in recent decades. Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and a vital ecological and economic resource. The bay and its tributaries have been degraded in recent decades by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the water column, however, which cause harmful algal blooms and decreased water clarity, submerged aquatic vegetation, and dissolved oxygen. The disproportionately large nitrogen and phosphorus yields from the Eastern Shore to Chesapeake Bay are attributable to human land-use practices as well as natural hydrogeologic and soil conditions. Applications of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to the Eastern Shore from human activities are intensive. Also, hydrogeologic and soil conditions promote the movement of these compounds from application areas on the landscape to groundwater and (or) surface waters, and the proximity of much of the Eastern Shore to tidal waters limits opportunities for natural removal of these compounds in the landscape. The Eastern Shore only includes 7 percent of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but receives nearly twice as much nitrogen and phosphorus applications (per area) as the remainder of the watershed and yields greater nitrogen and phosphorus, on average, to the bay ( fig. 2). SOURCE INPUTS TO THE EASTERN SHORE Sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on the Eastern Shore SEE CHAPTER 3Agricultural operations contribute the vast majority of nitrogen and phosphorus to the landscape on the Eastern Shore. Land use in the area has been primarily agricultural for several hundred years. Nitrogen and phosphorus applications in support of agriculture increased substantially during the second half of the last century, however, but have since stabilized or decreased ( fig. 3). More than 90 percent of nitrogen and phosphorus reaching the land in the Eastern Shore is applied as part of inorganic fertilizers or manure, or (for nitrogen) fixed directly from the atmosphere in cropland ( fig. 4). Nonagricultural sources such as atmospheric deposition, septic systems, sewage treatment plants, or other urban sources...

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Section: Nitrogenmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Ator¹,

Denver²

2015

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“…Recent studies of shallow estuarine environments have also demonstrated that groundwater that has been impacted by coastline urbanization or agriculture can be a substantial nutrient delivery pathway. For example, groundwater seepage is the primary source of nitrogen in many estuaries along the east coast of the United States (Lee & Olsen 1985, Giblin & Gaines 1990, Valiela et al 1992, Staver & Brinsfield 1996, LaRoche et al 1997. Since nitrogen limits primary production in many coastal environments (Nixon & Pilson 1983, Borum 1996, nutrient loading from groundwater seepage has been shown to greatly impact algal dynamics (Johannes 1980, Sewell 1982, Kinney & Roman 1998, harmful algal blooms (LaRoche et al 1997, Gobler & Sañudo-Wilhemy 2001 and entire ecosystems (Valiela et al 1992, Short & Burdick 1996, McClelland et al 1997.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of anthropogenically influenced groundwater seepage on water chemistry and phytoplankton dynamics within a coastal marine system

Gobler¹,

Boneillo²

2003

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Although landfills are a common method of solid-waste disposal, reports describing the impact of landfill leachate discharge on coastal surface-water quality are rare. In order to establish the impact of anthropogenically influenced groundwater seepage on a specific coastal marine ecosystem, a field campaign was conducted within North Sea Harbor (NSH), New York, USA, an embayment located northwest of, and down-gradient from, an unlined, municipal landfill. Most groundwater entering this system had modest seepage rates (0.020 to 1.18 cm h -1 ), was welloxygenated (278 ± 128 µM), contained moderate levels of nitrate/nitrite (57 ± 26 µM) and ammonium (5.9 ± 13 µM), and had low dissolved organic carbon levels (DOC = 71 ± 21 µM). In contrast, groundwater entering the SE portion of NSH was indicative of a landfill leachate plume, with high ammonium (>1 mM), and DOC (520 ± 270 µM) levels, low oxygen (20.3 ± 15.3 µM) and nitrate/nitrite (11 ± 8.9 µM) concentrations, and elevated seepage rates (8.33 ± 4.54 cm h -1 ). Quantification of inorganic nitrogen fluxes revealed that seepage of this ammonium-rich groundwater accounted for 80% of the inorganic N supply to the embayment receiving the discharge. The water column adjacent to this landfill-influenced groundwater seepage exhibited high levels of ammonium (61.7 ± 69.3 µM) and chlorophyll (8.4 ± 4.1 µg l -1 ), and hosted a microphytoplankton community that was comprised primarily of dinoflagellates and was N-replete. This contrasted with neighboring, nonleachate-influenced areas which had low ammonium (0.6 ± 0.6 µM) and chlorophyll (1.7 ± 0.7 µg l -1 ) levels and an N-limited microphytoplankton community dominated by diatoms. In summary, these results demonstrate that discharge of groundwater containing landfill leachate may be a significant, long-term eutrophication process in coastal environments.

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“…Chesapeake Bay nutrient concentrations and discharge has been intensively studied and best management practices have been implemented (Reay et al 1992;Staver and Brinsfield 1996). Nitrate levels, in a main stem inlet, were up to 20 times greater due to groundwater discharge, which indicates groundwater is of significant ecological importance.…”

Section: Groundwater Loadingestimates By Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The management practices produced greater discharge by way of groundwater (Reay et al 1992). Staver and Brinsfield (1996) found annual nitrogen groundwater discharge to be 1.2 kg m-.…”

Section: Groundwater Loadingestimates By Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater nutrient loading in Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Florida

Byrne¹

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Seepage of Groundwater Nitrate from a Riparian Agroecosystem into the Wye River Estuary

Cited by 48 publications

References 21 publications

Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Impacts of anthropogenically influenced groundwater seepage on water chemistry and phytoplankton dynamics within a coastal marine system

Groundwater nutrient loading in Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Florida

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