Springs drive downstream nitrate export from artificially-drained agricultural headwater catchments

Goeller, Brandon C.; Febria, Catherine M.; Warburton, Helen J.; Hogsden, Kristy L.; Collins, Katie; Devlin, Hayley S.; Harding, Jon S.; McIntosh, Angus R.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.308

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Nutrient retention and processing may be higher at low discharges and warmer temperatures, while at high discharges, retention and processing can be negligible relative to the increased N flux from the land and upstream [33]. Along many agricultural waterways, fluxes of excess N 'lost' below the root zone are transported by subsurface drains or seepage channels [37][38][39], thus bypassing denitrification zones in shallow groundwater and riparian buffers [37,40]. Importantly, management interventions need to be effective over a range of N loading events [41] and across key N delivery flow pathways [16].…”

Section: Understanding and Managing For N Export Variability Along Smmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A particular issue in designing approaches arises from the temporal inequality of N export caused by disproportionately high export during storm events, peak seasonal baseflows, or 'flashy' inputs along the waterway network [33,50,51]. In the case of groundwater nitrate pollution legacies seeping into streams [37,39], seasonally fluctuating shallow groundwater levels can be difficult to capture with attenuation tools [52][53][54]. Moreover, changes in the hydrology, water chemistry, and temperature of these inputs can together influence the microbially mediated processing rates and therefore the performance of attenuation tools [52,55,56].…”

Section: Understanding and Managing For N Export Variability Along Smmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, riparian vegetation can provide a source of organic matter to boost in-stream denitrification [108], as well as shading to regulate in-stream temperature and nuisance plant biomass [122,123], thereby mitigating in-stream eutrophication and responses to it [124,125]. Although riparian buffer N management approaches have become increasingly sophisticated to address multiple contaminants and provide ecological benefits to waterways [86], enhancing riparian vegetation alone may not be enough to attenuate catchment N in situations with legacy N from groundwater [39,126] or stream sediments [91], or where subsurface tile drains or seepage zones bypass riparian buffers [37,127]. Thus, to address these challenges, contemporary riparian buffer management aims to restore structural components and functions associated with saturated soils and multiple vegetation types, and enhance processing with 'treatment train' components like bunds, wetlands, and intercepting subsurface drainage [86,128].…”

Section: Expanding the N Toolbox To Boost Effectiveness From The Fielmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Combining Tools from Edge-of-Field to In-Stream to Attenuate Reactive Nitrogen along Small Agricultural Waterways

Goeller

Febria

McKergow

et al. 2020

Water

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Reducing excessive reactive nitrogen (N) in agricultural waterways is a major challenge for freshwater managers and landowners. Effective solutions require the use of multiple and combined N attenuation tools, targeted along small ditches and streams. We present a visual framework to guide novel applications of ‘tool stacking’ that include edge-of-field and waterway-based options targeting N delivery pathways, timing, and impacts in the receiving environment (i.e., changes in concentration or load). Implementing tools at multiple locations and scales using a ‘toolbox’ approach will better leverage key hydrological and biogeochemical processes for N attenuation (e.g., water retention, infiltration and filtering, contact with organic soils and microbes, and denitrification), in addition to enhancing ecological benefits to waterways. Our framework applies primarily to temperate or warmer climates, since cold temperatures and freeze–thaw-related processes limit biologically mediated N attenuation in cold climates. Moreover, we encourage scientists and managers to codevelop N attenuation toolboxes with farmers, since implementation will require tailored fits to local hydrological, social, and productive landscapes. Generating further knowledge around N attenuation tool stacking in different climates and landscape contexts will advance management actions to attenuate agricultural catchment N. Understanding how different tools can be best combined to target key contaminant transport pathways and create activated zones of attenuation along and within small agricultural waterways will be essential.

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Section: Understanding and Managing For N Export Variability Along Smmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Understanding and Managing For N Export Variability Along Smmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Expanding the N Toolbox To Boost Effectiveness From The Fielmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Combining Tools from Edge-of-Field to In-Stream to Attenuate Reactive Nitrogen along Small Agricultural Waterways

Goeller

Febria

McKergow

et al. 2020

Water

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“…Although nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) may be naturally present, they accumulate in the ecosystem due to human activities such as livestock and agricultural use of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers. Municipal and industrial wastewater effluents also increase nitrogenous compounds (Du et al, 2019;Goeller et al, 2019). Despite the abundance of NO 3 -N, their impact on fish welfare has been underestimated since they are less toxic than other nitrogenous compounds (van Bussel et al, 2012;Kim et al, 2019;Presa et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential sensitivity of offspring from four species of goodeine freshwater fish to acute exposure to nitrates

Villa-Villaseñor

Yáñez-Rivera²,

Rueda-Jasso³

et al. 2022

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) pollution related to anthropogenic activities is increasing in freshwater ecosystems. Knowledge about NO3-N sensitivity in freshwater wild fish is needed to understand the differential tolerance between species. Goodeinae is a subfamily of 41 endemic fishes that inhabit central Mexico, with 33 species in the IUCN red list and three extinct. Distributional patterns suggest tolerant and sensitive goodeines related to the conservation gradient of freshwater ecosystems. Four species with a differential distribution and tolerance were selected to evaluate their physiological responses to NO3-N. Fish were exposed to different NO3-N concentrations for 96 h and the median lethal concentration (LC50) was determined. Swimming disorders plus gill and liver histopathological indexes were estimated and incorporated into an Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) for each species. Skiffia lermae (LC50 = 474.332 mg/L) and Xenotoca variata (LC50 = 520.273 mg/L) were more sensitive than Goodea atripinnis (LC50 = 953.049 mg/L) and Alloophorus robustus (LC50 = 1537.13 mg/L). The typical histological damage produced by NaNO3-N exposure was fusion of secondary lamellae in gills. This was present in all species and cellular degeneration was observed at the highest concentrations. Secondary lamellae aneurysms were only observed in G. atripinnis. Liver alterations included vascular dilation in hepatic sinusoids, hyperemia and nuclear hypertrophy; higher concentrations produced hepatocyte cytoplasmic vacuolation and reduced frequency of cell nuclei. Behavioral and histopathological alterations could explain the differential species sensitivity. The results suggest that species which preserve gill function and transfer the task of detoxification to the liver might have the best chance of surviving in polluted environments. Moreover, species previously considered as tolerant may be highly susceptible to NaNO3-N exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor NaNO3-N concentrations in freshwater ecosystems and, if possible, reduce their levels to avoid the loss of wild populations.

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“…Nitrate concentrations are increasing among disturbed waterways and can remain elevated for prolonged periods of time (Fowler et al, 2013;Mitchell et al, 2009;Sudduth et al, 2013). This is particularly true for areas of high agricultural and urban runoff (Goeller et al, 2019). Prolonged elevation in nitrate concentrations poses significant threats to aquatic taxa, as the impact of nitrate on aquatic organisms increases with longer exposures (Gomez Isaza et al, 2020a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal acclimation offsets the negative effects of nitrate on aerobic scope and performance

Isaza

Cramp

Franklin

2020

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Rising temperatures are set to imperil freshwater fishes as climate change ensues unless compensatory strategies are employed. However, the presence of additional stressors, such as elevated nitrate concentrations, may affect the efficacy of compensatory responses. Here, juvenile silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) were exposed to current-day summer temperatures (28°C) or a future climate-warming scenario (32°C) and simultaneously exposed to one of three ecologically relevant nitrate concentrations (0, 50 or 100 mg l−1). We measured indicators of fish performance (growth, swimming), aerobic scope (AS) and upper thermal tolerance (CTmax) to test the hypothesis that nitrate exposure would increase susceptibility to elevated temperatures and limit thermal compensatory responses. After 8 weeks of acclimation, the thermal sensitivity and plasticity of AS and swimming performance were tested at three test temperatures (28, 32, 36°C). The AS of 28°C-acclimated fish declined with increasing temperature, and the effect was more pronounced in nitrate-exposed individuals. In these fish, declines in AS corresponded with poorer swimming performance and a 0.8°C decrease in CTmax compared with unexposed fish. In contrast, acclimation to 32°C masked the effects of nitrate; fish acclimated to 32°C displayed a thermally insensitive phenotype whereby locomotor performance remained unchanged, AS was maintained and CTmax was increased by ∼1°C irrespective of nitrate treatment compared with fish acclimated to 28°C. However, growth was markedly reduced in 32°C-acclimated compared with 28°C-acclimated fish. Our results indicate that nitrate exposure increases the susceptibility of fish to acute high temperatures, but thermal compensation can override some of these potentially detrimental effects.

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Springs drive downstream nitrate export from artificially-drained agricultural headwater catchments

Cited by 23 publications

References 60 publications

Combining Tools from Edge-of-Field to In-Stream to Attenuate Reactive Nitrogen along Small Agricultural Waterways

Combining Tools from Edge-of-Field to In-Stream to Attenuate Reactive Nitrogen along Small Agricultural Waterways

Differential sensitivity of offspring from four species of goodeine freshwater fish to acute exposure to nitrates

Thermal acclimation offsets the negative effects of nitrate on aerobic scope and performance

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