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Riparian zone denitrification affects nitrogen flux through a tidal freshwater river

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Abstract

Tidal freshwater zones (TFZ) of coastal rivers link terrestrial watersheds to the ocean and are characterized by large, regularly inundated riparian zones. We investigated the effect of riparian denitrification on nitrogen flux in the TFZ Newport River, North Carolina (U.S.A.) by developing an empirical model of denitrification and parameterizing it using measured denitrification rates, sediment oxidation-reduction potential dynamics, and riparian topography. Denitrification rates were measured monthly in laboratory-incubated sediment cores by using a membrane inlet mass spectrometer to assess net water-borne N2 flux from the cores. Annual average rates of denitrification in three intertidal riparian habitats, emergent marsh, mudflat, and hardwood forest, were 1864, 1956, and 2018 μg m−2 h−1, respectively. Laboratory experiments and in-situ monitoring revealed that the temporal lag between tidal inundation and reduced, denitrifying conditions was 4–5 h. Field measurements and remotely sensed data showed that the inundated surface area during high tide was three times greater than that at low tide. By combining data on denitrification, oxidation-reduction potential, and topography, the model predicted that the daily denitrification flux constituted 2–15% of the daily riverine nitrate flux during most of the year and >100% during low discharge periods. Current regional and global nitrogen budgets thus may overestimate nitrogen delivery to the ocean by not accounting for the TFZ denitrification.

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Abbreviations

TFZ:

Tidal freshwater zone

UNC-IMS:

University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences

LIDAR:

Light image detection And ranging

TIN:

Triangulated irregular network

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Acknowledgments

Funding was provided by the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina (Project # 70223), NSF Career Award #0441504 (M.W.D.), EPA STAR Graduate Fellowship #FP-91686901-0 (S·H.E.), and NSF EAR-0815627 (M.F·P.). We thank Ashley Smyth, Suzanne Thompson, Laura Stephenson, Nicholas Politte, Karen Fisher, Valerie Brock, and Todd Jobe for field and laboratory assistance, and Dr. Hans Paerl and his staff for the use of analytical equipment at UNC-IMS. Claude Lewis and Joe Purifoy at the UNC-IMS provided logistical support. The research described in this paper has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Graduate Fellowship Program. EPA has not officially endorsed this publication and the views expressed herein may not reflect the views of the EPA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curriculum in Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Scott H. Ensign

  2. Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 3431 Arendell Street, Morehead City, 28557, USA

    Scott H. Ensign & Michael F. Piehler

  3. Department of Geography, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Martin W. Doyle

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  1. Scott H. Ensign
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  2. Michael F. Piehler
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Correspondence to Scott H. Ensign.

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Ensign, S.H., Piehler, M.F. & Doyle, M.W. Riparian zone denitrification affects nitrogen flux through a tidal freshwater river. Biogeochemistry 91, 133–150 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9265-9

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