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Atmospheric inputs and nitrogen saturation status in and adjacent to Class I wilderness areas of the northeastern US

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Abstract

Atmospheric inputs of N and S in bulk deposition (open collectors) and throughfall (beneath canopy collectors) were measured in and adjacent to two Class 1 wilderness areas of the northeastern US. In general, atmospheric S inputs followed our expectations with throughfall S fluxes increasing with elevation in the White Mountains, New Hampshire and throughfall S fluxes being greater in coniferous than deciduous stands in both sites. In contrast, throughfall N fluxes decreased significantly with elevation. Throughfall NO3 fluxes were greater in coniferous than deciduous stands of Lye Brook, Vermont, but were greater in deciduous than coniferous stands of the White Mountains. We found overlap in the range of values for atmospheric N inputs between our measurements and monitoring data [National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) and Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET)] for wet and total (wet + dry) deposition at Lye Brook. However, our measurements of total S deposition in the White Mountains and bulk (wet) deposition at both Lye Brook and the White Mountains were significantly lower than NADP plus CASTNET, and NADP data, respectively. Natural abundance 18O in throughfall and bulk deposition were not significantly different, suggesting that there was no significant biological production of \({\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }\) via nitrification in the canopy. NO3 concentrations in streams were low and had natural abundance 18O values consistent with microbial production, demonstrating that atmospheric N is being biologically transformed while moving through these watersheds and that these forested watersheds are unlikely to be N saturated.

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Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC) through funding made available by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. The conclusions and opinions in this paper are those of the authors and not of the NSRC, the Forest Service, or the USDA. We appreciate the laboratory assistance provided by Stephanie Juice, Alexandra Webster and the Cary Institute Analytical Laboratory and field assistance provided by Sarah Buttrick, Kate Cassirer, Elizabeth Cook, Tanya Donahou, Holly Ewing, Bethel Steele and Susan Wheatley.

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Correspondence to Pamela H. Templer.

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Communicated by Hormoz BassiriRad.

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Templer, P.H., Weathers, K.C., Lindsey, A. et al. Atmospheric inputs and nitrogen saturation status in and adjacent to Class I wilderness areas of the northeastern US. Oecologia 177, 5–15 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3121-5

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