Transport and processing of nitrogen in a tidal freshwater wetland

We combined field, laboratory, and modeling efforts to construct a process-oriented N budget for a tidal freshwater wetland in eastern Massachusetts. The emergent marsh contained most of the total N in the wetland because of its large area and high N mass per unit area. Total N stored in live marsh...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water resources research 1991-03, Vol.27 (3), p.389-408
Main Authors: Bowden, W.B. (University of New Hampshire, Durham), Vorosmarty, C.J, Morris, J.T, Peterson, B.J, Hobbie, J.E, Steudler, P.A, Moore, B. III
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AZOTE
CONTENIDO DE NITROGENO
COURS D'EAU
CURSOS DE AGUA
DEGRADACION
DEGRADATION
ECOLOGIA DE AGUA DULCE
ECOLOGIE D'EAU DOUCE
HOJARASCA
IMMOBILISATION
INMOVILIZACION
LITIERE VEGETALE
MARISMA
MASSACHUSETTS
METABOLISME DE L'AZOTE
METABOLISMO DEL NITROGENO
MINERALISATION
MINERALIZACION
NITROGENO
PRAIRIE MARECAGEUSE
TENEUR EN AZOTE
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Summary:We combined field, laboratory, and modeling efforts to construct a process-oriented N budget for a tidal freshwater wetland in eastern Massachusetts. The emergent marsh contained most of the total N in the wetland because of its large area and high N mass per unit area. Total N stored in live marsh plants, dead litter, and inorganic interstitial water were roughly similar and 50-500X less than total peat N. A simple input-output budget indicated that most of the N entering the wetland annually passes through the ecosystem unaltered; a relatively small amount of N is imported from the river by the marsh. In the short term, mineralization of peat N is sufficient to satisfy N demands within the marsh. Mineralized N is conserved by plant uptake, microbial immobilization, and litter immobilization. The small net N exchange with the river does provide an important subsidy to the marsh over the long term, offsetting losses due to denitrification and burial. Tidal freshwater wetlands may not appear to be influenced by current water quality and yet may respond to long-term cumulative nutrient loading, especially when this loading increases because of incremental watershed development
ISSN:0043-1397
1944-7973
DOI:10.1029/90WR02614