Oral Presentation Freshwater Sciences 2023

Environmental and seasonal controls on denitrification vary between an agricultural river and its tributary stream. (#218)

Abagael N Pruitt 1 , Jennifer L Tank 1 , Shannon L Speir 2 , AJ Reisinger 3
  1. University of Notre Dame, Mishawaka, INDIANA, United States
  2. Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States
  3. DEPARTMENT OF SOIL, WATER, AND ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States

The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to agricultural fields is important for maximizing productivity; however, excess inputs of N can impair downstream waters. This excess N can increase denitrification rates, wherein nitrate (NO3--N) is converted to dinitrogen (N2) gas, permanently removing bioreactive N from the ecosystem. Increased N fertilizer use and warming temperatures driven by climate change may further increase denitrification by increasing both NO3--N concentrations and biological activity. Studies often focus on denitrification in headwater streams; yet, larger rivers are known to play a major role in reach-scale N retention. Moreover, it remains uncertain how denitrification rates differ across seasons and stream sizes, as well as how efficiently this permanent N sink reduces N loads to downstream waterways. To estimate reach-scale denitrification, we conducted three seasonal diel sampling events over 36h in an agriculturally-dominated mainstem river (Tippecanoe R.; TIP) in Indiana and its tributary (Shatto Ditch; SHA) using the open-channel N2-exchange method. Our preliminary results show that reach-scale denitrification was ~4X higher in the tributary than the mainstem in both summer (SHA=75.4 mg N m-2 h-1, TIP=18.9 mg N m-2 h-1) and fall (SHA=50.6 mg N m-2 h-1, TIP=13.5 mg N m-2 h-1). We also found that denitrification from SHA and TIP was related to NO3--N availability (Pearson; r=0.99), where NO3--N concentration was higher in SHA than TIP in both summer (SHA=4.5 mg N L-1, TIP=1.0 mg N L-1) and fall (SHA=2.8 mg N L-1, TIP=1.0 mg N L-1). This work expands our knowledge of denitrification in fluvial ecosystems and improves our understanding of how human-impacted freshwaters of all sizes are reducing N loads to downstream aquatic ecosystems.