Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Isotopic Approach to Determining the Fate of Ammonium Regenerated from Sediments in a Eutrophic Sub-estuary of Waquoit Bay, MA

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We measured fluxes of NH +4 and NO −3 and δ15N of NH +4 , sediment, and porewater NH +4 from incubated sediment cores along a nitrate gradient and in different seasons from Childs River, MA. NH +4 flux was low at the downstream site with the lowest concentration of organic matter (high salinity) but otherwise did not differ along the estuary. The δ15N of regenerated NH +4 ranged from +6.1‰ to +15.3‰ but did not vary significantly with season or salinity; the mean for the entire estuary was +10.4 ± 0.5‰. Based on differences between the δ15N of regenerated NH +4 and sediment, and expected isotopic fractionation due to remineralization, we concluded that nitrification occurred after remineralization of NH +4 . Differences between the δ15N of regenerated NH +4 and the δ15N of porewater NH +4 provided further evidence of nitrification. We estimated that 11% to 48% of remineralized NH +4 underwent coupled nitrification–denitrification before release into the water column. In spite of losses to denitrification, NH +4 flux released 1.4 mol N m−2 year−1 to the water column and could provide 42% of phytoplankton nitrogen requirements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bartoli, M., D. Nizzoli, and P. Viaroli. 2003. Microphytobenthos activity and fluxes at the sediment–water interface: Interactions and spatial variability. Aquatic Ecology 37: 341–349.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boynton, W.R., and W.M. Kemp. 2008. Estuaries. In Nitrogen in the marine environment, 2nd ed, ed. D.G. Capone, D.A. Bronk, M.R. Mulholland, and E.J. Carpenter, 809–866. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandes, J.A., and A.H. Devol. 1997. Isotopic fractionation of oxygen and nitrogen in coastal marine sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 9: 1793–1801.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burdige, D.J. 2006. Geochemistry of marine sediments. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caffrey, J.M. 1995. Spatial and seasonal patterns in sediment nitrogen remineralization and ammonium concentrations in San Francisco Bay, California. Estuaries 18: 219–233.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, R.H., A. Shriver, and I. Valiela. 2004. Changes in shell and soft tissue growth, tissue composition, and survival of quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria, and softshell clams, Mya arenaria, in response to eutrophic-driven changes in food supply and habitat. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 313: 75–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carmichael, R.H., and I. Valiela. 2005. Coupling of near-bottom seston and surface sediment composition: Changes with nutrient enrichment and implications for estuarine food supply and biogeochemical processing. Limnology and Oceanography 50: 97–105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Casciotti, K.L., D.M. Sigman, and B.B. Ward. 2003. Linking diversity and stable isotope fractionation in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Geomicrobiology Journal 20: 335–353.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cifuentes, L.A., M.L. Fogel, J.R. Pennock, and J.H. Sharp. 1989. Biogeochemical factors that influence the stable nitrogen isotope ratio of dissolved ammonium in the Delaware Estuary. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 53: 2713–2721.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cline, J.D., and I.R. Kaplan. 1975. Isotopic fractionation of dissolved nitrate during denitrification in the eastern tropical North Pacific Ocean. Marine Chemistry 3: 271–299.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cloern, J.E. 2001. Our evolving conceptual model of the coastal eutrophication problem. Marine Ecology Progress Series 210: 223–253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, P.L.M., A.T. Revill, E.C.V. Butler, and B.D. Eyre. 2004. Carbon and nitrogen cycling on intertidal mudflats of a temperate Australian estuary. II. Nitrogen cycling. Marine Ecology Progress Series 280: 39–54.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dortch, Q. 1990. The interaction between ammonium and nitrate uptake in phytoplankton. Marine Ecology Progress Series 61: 183–201.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, W.S., M.J. McCarthy, S. An, D. Sobolev, K.S. Sell, and D. Brock. 2006. Nitrogen fixation and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) support nitrogen dynamics in Texas estuaries. Limnology and Oceanography 51: 558–568.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Geyer, W.R. 1997. Influence of wind on dynamics and flushing of shallow estuaries. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 44: 713–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giblin, A.E., C.S. Hopkinson, and J. Tucker. 1997. Benthic metabolism and nutrient cycling in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Estuaries 20: 346–364.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giblin, A.E., N. Weston, G. Banta, J. Tucker, and C.S. Hopkinson. 2010. The effects of salinity on nitrogen loss from an oligohaline estuarine sediment. Estuaries and Coasts.

  • Good, S. 2004. Measured and modeled nitrogen loads to Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, MA thesis. Woods Hole, MA: Boston University Marine Program.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herbert, R.A. 1999. Nitrogen cycling in coastal marine ecosystems. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 23: 563–590.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoch, M.P., M.L. Fogel, and D.L. Kirchman. 1994. Isotope fractionation during ammonium uptake by marine microbial assemblages. Geomicrobiology 12: 113–127.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, R.M., J.W. McClelland, D.M. Sigman, B. Fry, and B.J. Peterson. 1998. Measuring 15N-NH4 in marine, estuarine and fresh waters: An adaptation of the ammonia diffusion method for samples with low ammonium concentrations. Marine Chemistry 60: 235–243.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, R.M., A. Aminot, R. Kerouel, B.A. Hooker, and B.J. Peterson. 1999. A simple and precise method for measuring ammonium in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 56: 1801–1808.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hopkinson, C.S., A.E. Giblin, J. Tucker, and R.H. Garritt. 1999. Benthic metabolism and nutrient cycling along an estuarine salinity gradient. Estuaries 22: 863–881.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Horrigan, S.G., J.P. Montoya, J.L. Nevins, and J.J. McCarthy. 1990. Natural isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 30: 393–410.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, C. 1998. Tracing nitrogen sources and cycling in catchments. In Isotope tracers in catchment hydrology, ed. C. Kendall and J.J. McDonnell, 519–576. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klump, J.V., and C.S. Martens. 1983. Benthic nitrogen regeneration. In Nitrogen in the marine environment, ed. E.J. Carpenter and D.G. Capone, 411–457. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koike, I., and J. Sorenson. 1988. Nitrogen reduction and denitrification in marine sediments. In Nitrogen cycling in coastal marine environments, ed. T.H. Blackburn and J. Sorensen, 251–273. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaMontagne, M.G. 1996. Denitrification and the stoichiometry of organic matter degradation in temperate estuarine sediments- seasonal pattern and significance as a nitrogen sink, PhD dissertation. Woods Hole, MA: Boston University Marine Program.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaMontagne, M.G., V. Astorga, A.E. Giblin, and I. Valiela. 2002. Denitrification and the stoichiometry of nutrient regeneration in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Estuaries 25: 272–281.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mariotti, A., P. Germon, P. Hubert, P. Kaiser, R. Letolle, A. Tardieux, and P. Tardieux. 1981. Experimental determination of nitrogen kinetic isotope fractionation: Some principles, illustrations for denitrification and nitrification. Plant and Soil Science 62: 413–430.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martinetto, P., M. Teichberg, and I. Valiela. 2006. Coupling of estuarine benthic and pelagic food webs to land-derived nitrogen sources in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Marine Ecology Progress Series 307: 37–48.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClelland, J.W., and I. Valiela. 1998. Linking nitrogen in estuarine producers to land-derived sources. Limnology and Oceanography 43: 577–585.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, S.W. 1981. Remineralization and nutrient cycling in coastal marine systems. In Estuaries and nutrients, ed. B.J. Neilson and L.E. Cronin, 111–138. New Jersey: Humana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B.J., and B. Fry. 1987. Stable isotopes in ecosystem studies. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 293–320.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Redfield, A.C. 1958. The biological control of chemical factors in the environment. American Scientist 46: 205–221.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rysgaard, S., N. Risgaard-Petersen, L.P. Nielsen, and N.P. Revsbech. 1993. Nitrification and denitrification in lake and estuarine sediments measured by the 15N dilution technique and isotope pairing. Applied Environmental Microbiology 59: 2093–2098.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seitzinger, S.P., W.S. Gardner, and A.K. Spratt. 1991. The effect of salinity on ammonium sorption in aquatic sediments: Implications for benthic nutrient recycling. Estuaries 14: 167–174.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sundback, K., F. Linares, F. Larson, A. Wulff, and A. Engelsen. 2004. Benthic nitrogen fluxes along a depth gradient in a microtidal fjord: The role of denitrification and microphytobenthos. Limnology and Oceanography 49: 1095–1107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, D.C.O., L.F. Dong, G.J.C. Underwood, and D.B. Newell. 2007. Sediment-water inorganic nutrient exchange and nitrogen budgets in the Colne Estuary, UK. Marine Ecology Progress Series 337: 63–77.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tobias, C., A. Giblin, J. McClelland, J. Tucker, and B. Peterson. 2003. Sediment DIN fluxes and preferential recycling of benthic microalgal nitrogen in a shallow macrotidal estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 257: 25–36.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tomasky, G., J. Barak, I. Valiela, L. Soucy, P. Behr, and K. Foreman. 1999. Nutrient limitation of phytoplankton in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts, USA: A nutrient enrichment study. Aquatic Ecology 33: 147–155.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turpin, D.H. 1991. Effects of inorganic N availability on algal photosynthesis and carbon metabolism. Journal of Phycology 27: 14–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., J.W. McClelland, J. Hauxwell, P.J. Behr, D. Hersh, and K. Foreman. 1997. Macroalgal blooms in shallow estuaries: Controls and ecophysiological and ecosystem consequences. Limnology and Oceanography 42: 1105–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valiela, I., G. Tomasky, J. Hauxwell, M.L. Cole, J. Cebrian, and K.D. Kroeger. 2000. Operationalizing sustainability: Management and risk assessment of land-derived nitrogen loads to estuaries. Ecological Applications 10: 1006–1023.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viaroli, P., M. Bartoli, C. Bondavalli, R.R. Christian, G. Girodani, and M. Naldi. 1996. Macrophyte communities and their impact on benthic fluxes of oxygen, sulphide and nutrients in shallow eutrophic environments. Hydrobiologia 329: 105–119.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek, P.M., J.D. Aber, R.W. Howarth, G.E. Likens, P.A. Matson, D.W. Schindler, W.H. Schlesinger, and D.G. Tilman. 1997. Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences. Ecological Applications 7: 737–750.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wada, E., and A. Hattori. 1978. Nitrogen isotope effects in the assimilation of inorganic nitrogenous compounds by marine diatoms. Geomicrobiology 1: 85–101.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • York, J.K., G. Tomasky, I. Valiela, and D.J. Repeta. 2007. Stable isotopic detection of ammonium and nitrate assimilation by estuarine phytoplankton in the Waquoit Bay estuarine system. Limnology and Oceanography 52: 144–155.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding to J.K.Y. was provided by a Palmer-McLeod Graduate Fellowship from the Boston University Marine Program, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-STAR fellowship (U-91613501-0), and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) Graduate Fellowship (NA17OR1198). G.T. was supported by a NOAA-NERR Graduate Fellowship (NA07OR0274) and a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Sea Grant (NA16RG2273). We thank J. McClelland for help with interpretation of isotopic signatures, J. Tucker for methodological suggestions, V. Starczak for help with statistics, and two anonymous reviewers for comments, which substantially improved the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Joanna K. York

  2. The Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA

    Gabrielle Tomasky, Ivan Valiela & Anne E. Giblin

Authors
  1. Joanna K. York
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gabrielle Tomasky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ivan Valiela
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anne E. Giblin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanna K. York.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

York, J.K., Tomasky, G., Valiela, I. et al. Isotopic Approach to Determining the Fate of Ammonium Regenerated from Sediments in a Eutrophic Sub-estuary of Waquoit Bay, MA. Estuaries and Coasts 33, 1069–1079 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9278-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9278-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation