Ecosystem Controls on the Biogeochemical Processing of Watershed-Derived Nitrogen in Tidal Rivers

由于沿海流域的发展，从流域到河口的氮输入正在增加。 需要更好地了解氮在河口的命运，以改善耦合流域和河口的管理。 我们建议通过使用氮循环示踪剂来确定河口流域硝酸盐的命运。这种示踪剂可以测量氮在整个生态系统中从猎物到捕食者以及从水到沉积物的移动方式。 我们将研究河流流量如何影响氮循环，通过比较氮示踪剂如何在河口在高和低河流流量。 同样，在有和没有广泛的潮滩河口氮流量的比较将显示河口的整体形状如何影响氮循环。这些示踪实验的氮循环数据将用于改进和测试预测河口流域氮命运的模型。

ABSTRACTPeterson- 9815598 Nitrogen inputs from watersheds to estuaries are increasing due to coastal watershed development. A better understanding of the fate of nitrogen in estuaries is needed to improve management of coupled watersheds and estuaries. We propose to determine the fate of watershed-derived nitrate in estuaries by use of a nitrogen cycle tracer. The tracer makes it possible to measure how nitrogen moves throughout the ecosystem from prey to predators and from the water to sediments. We will study how river discharge affects the nitrogen cycle by comparing how the nitrogen tracer moves in estuaries during high and low river discharge. Likewise comparison of nitrogen flow in estuaries with and without extensive tidal flats will show how the overall shape of estuaries affects the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle data from these tracer experiments will be used to improve and test models that predict the fate of watershed-derived nitrogen in estuaries.