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Nitrogen uptake and denitrification in restored and unrestored streams in urban Maryland, USA

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Abstract

There is growing interest in rates of nitrate uptake and denitrification in restored streams to better understand the effects of restoration on nitrogen processing. This study quantified nitrate uptake in two restored and two unrestored streams in Baltimore, Maryland, USA using nitrate additions, denitrification enzyme assays, and a 15N isotope tracer addition in one of the urban restored streams, Minebank Run. Restoration included either incorporation of stormwater ponds below a storm drain and catch basins to attenuate flow or hydrologic “reconnection” of a stream channel to its floodplain. Stream restoration was conducted for restoring aging sanitary and bridge infrastructure and introducing some stormwater management in watersheds developed prior to current regulations. Denitrification potential in sediments was variable across streams, whereas nitrate uptake length appeared to be significantly correlated to surface water velocity, which was low in the restored streams during summer baseflow conditions. Uptake length of NO3 −–N in Minebank Run estimated by 15N tracer addition was 556 m. Whole stream denitrification rates in Minebank Run were 153 mg NO3 −–N m−2 day−1, and approximately 40% of the daily load of nitrate was estimated to be removed via denitrification over a distance of 220.5 m in a stream reach designed to be hydrologically “connected” to its floodplain. Increased hydrologic residence time in Minebank Run during baseflow likely influenced rates of whole stream denitrification, suggesting that hydrologic residence time may be a key factor influencing N uptake and denitrification. Restoration approaches that increase hydrologic “connectivity” with hyporheic sediments and increase hydrologic residence time may be useful for stimulating denitrification. More work is necessary, however, to examine changes in denitrification rates in restored streams across different seasons, variable N loads, and in response to the “flashy” hydrologic flow conditions during storms common in urban streams.

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Acknowledgments

Carolyn Klocker received graduate student support from the University of Maryland, College Park and Appalachian Laboratory. Pete Bogush, Tamara Newcomer, and Lauren McChesney provided assistance with field work. Ellen Moon, David Lewis, and Katie Kline provided assistance in the laboratory. Steve Stewart of Baltimore County DEPRM helped with selecting study sites and Bill Stack of Baltimore City DPW provided helpful discussions. Ed Doheny and Jon Dillow of the USGS provided hydrologic information. We thank Dr. Steve Thomas, Dr. Steve Hamilton, and Dr. Pat Mulholland for providing advice regarding the stable isotope tracer addition. This research was supported by Maryland Sea Grant award SA7528085-U, the U.S. EPA through its Office of Research and Development under cooperative agreement CR829676, a grant from the Maryland Water Resources Research Center, and the NSF Baltimore Ecosystem Study LTER program (DEB-9714835). The research has not been subjected to US Environmental Protection Agency review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of any of the funding agencies, and no official endorsement should be inferred. This is contribution number 4344 of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

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  1. Carolyn A. Klocker

    Present address: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Dutchess County, 2715 Route 44, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA

  2. Sujay S. Kaushal

    Present address: Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, P.O. Box 38, Solomons, MD, 20688, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 301 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD, 21532, USA

    Carolyn A. Klocker, Sujay S. Kaushal & Raymond P. Morgan

  2. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, P.O. Box AB, Millbrook, NY, 12545, USA

    Peter M. Groffman

  3. National Risk Management Research Lab, US Environmental Protection Agency, 919 Kerr Research Drive, Ada, OK, 74820, USA

    Paul M. Mayer

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  1. Carolyn A. Klocker
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Correspondence to Sujay S. Kaushal.

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Klocker, C.A., Kaushal, S.S., Groffman, P.M. et al. Nitrogen uptake and denitrification in restored and unrestored streams in urban Maryland, USA. Aquat. Sci. 71, 411–424 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-009-0118-y

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