Studies on chemical and biological processes in the Keum River Estuary, Korea. I. The cycle of dissolved inorganic nitrogen: general considerations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Murray ◽  
Dirk Erler ◽  
Judith Rosentreter ◽  
Naomi Wells ◽  
Bradley Eyre

AbstractEstuarine N2O emissions contribute to the atmospheric N2O budget, but little is known about estuary N2O fluxes under low dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) conditions. We present high-resolution spatial surveys of N2O concentrations and water-air fluxes in three low-DIN (NO3−< 30µmol L−1) tropical estuaries in Queensland, Australia (Johnstone River, Fitzroy River, Constant Creek) during consecutive wet and dry seasons. Constant Creek had the lowest concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; 0.01 to 5.4µmol L−1of NO3−and 0.09 to 13.6µmol L−1of NH4+) and N2O (93–132% saturation), and associated lowest N2O emissions (– 1.4 to 8.4µmol m−2d−1) in both seasons. The other two estuaries exhibited higher DIN inputs and higher N2O emissions. The Johnstone River Estuary had the highest N2O concentrations (97–245% saturation) and emissions (– 0.03 to 25.7µmol m−2d−1), driven by groundwater inputs from upstream sources, with increased N2O input in the wet season. In the Fitzroy River Estuary, N2O concentrations (100–204% saturation) and emissions (0.03–19.5µmol m−2d−1) were associated with wastewater inputs, which had a larger effect during the dry season and were diluted during the wet season. Overall N2O emissions from the three tropical estuaries were low compared to previous studies, and at times water-air N2O fluxes were actually negative, indicating that N2O consumption occurred. Low water column NO3−concentration (i.e. < 5µmol L−1) appears to promote negative water-air N2O fluxes in estuary environments; considering the number of estuaries and mangrove creeks where DIN falls below this threshold, negative water-air N2O fluxes are likely common.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 6721-6736 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Buzzelli ◽  
Y. Wan ◽  
P. H. Doering ◽  
J. N. Boyer

Abstract. Interactions among geomorphology, circulation, and biogeochemical cycling determine estuary responses to external nutrient loading. In order to better manage watershed nutrient inputs, the goal of this study was to develop seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP) budgets for the two estuaries in south Florida, the Caloosahatchee River estuary (CRE) and the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE), from 2002 to 2008. The Land–Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) approach was used to generate water, salt, and DIN and DIP budgets. Results suggested that internal DIN production increases with increased DIN loading to the CRE in the wet season. There were hydrodynamic effects as water column concentrations and ecosystem nutrient processing stabilized in both estuaries as flushing time increased to >10 d. The CRE demonstrated heterotrophy (net ecosystem metabolism or NEM < 0.0) across all wet and dry season budgets. While the SLE was sensitive to DIN loading, system autotrophy (NEM > 0.0) increased significantly with external DIP loading. This included DIP consumption and a bloom of a cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa) following hurricane-induced discharge to the SLE in 2005. Additionally, while denitrification provided a microbially-mediated N loss pathway for the CRE, this potential was not evident for the SLE where N2 fixation was favored. Disparities between total and inorganic loading ratios suggested that the role of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) should be assessed for both estuaries. Nutrient budgets indicated that net internal production or consumption of DIN and DIP fluctuated with inter- and intra-annual variations in freshwater inflow, hydrodynamic flushing, and primary production. The results of this study should be included in watershed management plans in order to maintain favorable conditions of external loading relative to internal material cycling in both dry and wet seasons.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2821-2836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Moritz Müller ◽  
Jie Jin ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
Kun Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), including nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, frequently acts as the limitation for primary productivity. Our study focused on the transport and transformation of DIN in a tropical estuary, i.e., the Rajang River estuary, in Borneo, Malaysia. Three cruises were conducted in August 2016 and February–March and September 2017, covering both dry and wet seasons. Before entering the coastal delta, decomposition of the terrestrial organic matter and the subsequent soil leaching was assumed to be the main source of DIN in the river water. In the estuary, decomposition of dissolved organic nitrogen was an additional DIN source, which markedly increased DIN concentrations in August 2016 (dry season). In the wet season (February 2017), ammonium concentrations showed a relatively conservative distribution during the mixing, and the nitrate addition was weak. La Niña events induced high precipitations and discharge rates, decreased reaction intensities of ammonification and nitrification. Hence similar distribution patterns of DIN species in the estuary were found in September 2017 (end of the dry season). The magnitude of riverine DIN flux varied between 77.2 and 101.5 t N d−1, which might be an important support for the coastal primary productivity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 2377-2413
Author(s):  
C. Buzzelli ◽  
Y. Wan ◽  
P. H. Doering ◽  
J. N. Boyer

Abstract. Interactions among watershed nutrient loading, circulation, and biogeochemical cycling determine the capacity of estuaries to accommodate introduced nutrients. Baseline quantification of loading, flushing time, export, and internal processes is essential to understand responses of sub-tropical estuaries to variable climate and nutrient loading. The goal of this study was to develop seasonal dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus (DIP) budgets for the two estuaries in south Florida, the Caloosahatchee River Estuary (CRE) and the St. Lucie Estuary (SLE), from 2002–2008 spanning various climatic conditions. The Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) Biogeochemical Model was used to generate water, salt, and (DIN and DIP) budgets. The predicted increase in internal DIN production for the CRE vs. the SLE was associated with increased external DIN loading. Water column DIN concentrations decreased and stabilized in both estuaries as flushing time increased to > 10 d. The CRE demonstrated heterotrophy or balanced metabolism across all seasonal budgets. Although the SLE was also sensitive to DIN loading, system autotrophy and net ecosystem metabolism increased with DIP loading to this estuary. This included a huge DIP consumption and bloom of a cyanobacterium (Microcystis aeruginosa) following hurricane-induced discharge in 2005. Additionally, while denitrification offered a loss pathway for inorganic nitrogen in the CRE, this potential was not evident for the smaller and more anthropogenically altered St. Lucie Estuary. Disparities between total and inorganic loading ratios suggested that management actions should examine the role of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in attempts to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorus inputs to the SLE. Establishment of quantitative loading limits for anthropogenically impacted estuaries requires an understanding of the inter-seasonal and inter-annual relationships for both N and P, circulation and flushing, variability in plankton community composition, and the dynamics of DON.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 6405-6443
Author(s):  
W.-D. Zhai ◽  
X.-L. Yan

Abstract. To better understand biogeochemical processes controlling CO2 dynamics in those eutrophic large-river estuaries and coastal lagoons, we investigated surface water carbonate system, nutrients, and relevant hydrochemical parameters in the inner Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, covering its channel-like South Branch and the lagoon-like North Branch, shortly after a spring-tide period in April 2010. In the North Branch, with a water residence time of more than 2 months, biogeochemical additions of ammonium (7.4 to 65.7 μmol kg−1) and alkalinity (196 to 695 μmol kg−1) were detected along with high salinity of 4.5 to 17.4. In the South Branch upper-reach, unusual salinity values of 0.20 to 0.67 were detected, indicating spillover waters from the North Branch. The spillover waters enhanced the springtime Changjiang export fluxes of nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and alkalinity. And they affected the biogeochemistry in the South Branch, by lowering water-to-air CO2 flux and continuing the nitrification reaction. In the North Branch, pCO2 was measured from 930 to 1518 μatm at the salinity range between 8 and 16, which was substantially higher than the South Branch pCO2 of 700 to 1100 μatm. Based on field data analyses and simplified stoichiometric equations, we suggest that the North Branch CO2 productions were quantified by biogeochemical processes combining organic matter decomposition, nitrification, CaCO3 dissolution, and acid-base reactions in the estuarine mixing zone. Although our study is subject to limited temporal and spatial coverage of sampling, we have demonstrated a procedure to quantificationally constrain net CO2 productions in eutrophic estuaries and/or coastal lagoons, by coupling the chemical dynamics of carbonate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen systems.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Jiang ◽  
Moritz Müller ◽  
Jie Jin ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
Kun Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), including nitrate, nitrite and ammonium, frequently acts as the limitation for primary productivity. Our study focused on the transport and transformation of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in a tropical estuary, i.e. Rajang river estuary, in Borneo, Malaysia. Three cruises were conducted in August 2016, February–March and September 2017, covering both dry and wet seasons. Before entering the coastal delta, decomposition of the terrestrial organic matter and the subsequent soil leaching was assumed to be the main source of DIN in the river water. In the estuary, decomposition of dissolved organic nitrogen was an additional DIN source, which markedly increased DIN concentrations in August 2016 (dry season). In the wet season (February 2017), ammonium concentration showed a relatively conservative distribution during the mixing and nitrate addition was weak. In September 2017 (dry season), La Niña induced high precipitation and discharge rates, decreased reaction intensities of ammonification and nitrification and hence the distribution of DIN species in the estuary water was similar with the trend found in the wet season. The magnitude of riverine DIN flux varied between 77.2 and 101.5 ton N d-1, which might be an important support for the coastal primary productivity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 347-353 ◽  
pp. 2302-2307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xiang Wang ◽  
Yi Shi ◽  
Jian Ma ◽  
Cai Yan Lu ◽  
Xin Chen

A field experiment was conducted to study the characteristics of non-point source nitrogen (N) in the surface runoff from sloping croplands and the influences of rainfall and cropland slope gradient. The results showed that dissolved total N (DTN) was the major form of N in the runoff, and the proportion occupied by dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) ranged from 45% to 85%. The level of NH4+-N was generally higher than the level of NO3--N, and averaged at 2.50 mg·L-1and 1.07 mg·L-1respectively. DIN was positively correlated with DTN (R2=0.962). Dissolved organic N (DON) presented a moderate seasonal change and averaged at 1.40 mg·L-1. Rainfall amount and rainfall intensity significantly affected the components of DTN in the runoff. With the increase of rainfall amount and rainfall intensity, the concentrations of DTN, NH4+-N and NO3--N presented a decreased trend, while the concentration of DON showed an increased trend. N loss went up with an increase in the gradient of sloping cropland, and was less when the duration was longer from the time of N fertilization.fertilization.


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