Nitrate leaching from short-hydroperiod floodplain soils
dc.contributor.author
Huber, Benjamin
dc.contributor.author
Luster, Joerg
dc.contributor.author
Bernasconi, Stefano M.
dc.contributor.author
Shrestha, Juna
dc.contributor.author
Graf Pannatier, Elisabeth
dc.date.accessioned
2018-10-01T14:43:45Z
dc.date.available
2017-06-10T13:00:21Z
dc.date.available
2018-10-01T14:43:45Z
dc.date.issued
2012
dc.identifier.issn
1726-4170
dc.identifier.issn
1726-4170
dc.identifier.other
10.5194/bg-9-4385-2012
en_US
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/62192
dc.identifier.doi
10.3929/ethz-b-000062192
dc.description.abstract
Numerous studies have shown the importance of riparian zones to reduce nitrate (NO3−) contamination coming from adjacent agricultural land. Much less is known about nitrogen (N) transformations and nitrate fluxes in riparian soils with short hydroperiods (1–3 days of inundation) and there is no study that could show whether these soils are a N sink or source. Within a restored section of the Thur River in NE Switzerland, we measured nitrate concentrations in soil solutions as an indicator of the net nitrate production. Samples were collected along a quasi-successional gradient from frequently inundated gravel bars to an alluvial forest, at three different depths (10, 50 and 100 cm) over a one-year period. Along this gradient we quantified N input (atmospheric deposition and sedimentation) and N output (leaching) to create a nitrogen balance and assess the risk of nitrate leaching from the unsaturated soil to the groundwater. Overall, the main factor explaining the differences in nitrate concentrations was the field capacity (FC). In subsoils with high FCs and VWC near FC, high nitrate concentrations were observed, often exceeding the Swiss and EU groundwater quality criterions of 400 and 800 μmol L−1, respectively. High sedimentation rates of river-derived nitrogen led to apparent N retention up to 200 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in the frequently inundated zones. By contrast, in the mature alluvial forest, nitrate leaching exceeded total N input most of the time. As a result of the large soil N pools, high amounts of nitrate were produced by nitrification and up to 94 kg N-NO3− ha−1 yr−1 were leached into the groundwater. Thus, during flooding when water fluxes are high, nitrate from soils can contribute up to 11% to the total nitrate load in groundwater.
en_US
dc.format
application/pdf
dc.language.iso
en
en_US
dc.publisher
Copernicus
en_US
dc.rights.uri
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
dc.title
Nitrate leaching from short-hydroperiod floodplain soils
en_US
dc.type
Journal Article
dc.rights.license
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
dc.date.published
2012-11-09
ethz.journal.title
Biogeosciences
ethz.journal.volume
9
en_US
ethz.journal.issue
11
en_US
ethz.pages.start
4385
en_US
ethz.pages.end
4397
en_US
ethz.version.deposit
publishedVersion
en_US
ethz.identifier.nebis
006289717
ethz.publication.place
Göttingen
en_US
ethz.publication.status
published
en_US
ethz.leitzahl
ETH Zürich::00002 - ETH Zürich::00012 - Lehre und Forschung::00007 - Departemente::02330 - Dep. Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften / Dep. of Earth and Planetary Sciences::03775 - Haug, Gerald H. / Haug, Gerald H.
en_US
ethz.leitzahl.certified
ETH Zürich::00002 - ETH Zürich::00012 - Lehre und Forschung::00007 - Departemente::02330 - Dep. Erd- und Planetenwissenschaften / Dep. of Earth and Planetary Sciences::03775 - Haug, Gerald H. / Haug, Gerald H.
ethz.date.deposited
2017-06-10T13:01:02Z
ethz.source
ECIT
ethz.identifier.importid
imp59365040d776b48345
ethz.ecitpid
pub:98859
ethz.eth
yes
en_US
ethz.availability
Open access
en_US
ethz.rosetta.installDate
2017-07-20T15:17:20Z
ethz.rosetta.lastUpdated
2024-02-02T06:13:48Z
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true
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true
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