Collaborative Research: Impacts of urbanization on nitrogen biogeochemistry in xeric ecosystems

合作研究：城市化对干旱生态系统氮生物地球化学的影响

• 批准号: 0918457
• 负责人: Nancy Grimm
• 金额: $ 25.98万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2014-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0918457&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Impacts; urbanization; nitrogen

Urbanization dramatically modifies the movement and transformations of nitrogen (N) compounds in semi-arid ecosystems. In particular, nitrate contamination of drinking water is a growing concern in urban areas, especially in arid and semi-arid environments, where urban runoff is actively-managed to recharge groundwater and augment water supplies. Water managers and urban planners, however, lack information on what ecosystem characteristics are most important in controlling the quality of this recharged water, especially its nitrate concentrations. This research will quantify how sources, transport, and fate of nitrate in storm runoff vary with the density and type of urban land use in Tucson and Phoenix (CAP LTER), Arizona watersheds. Seasonal patterns of nitrate export will be characterized, and new isotopic tracer techniques will be used to understand nitrate sources and mechanisms controlling nitrogen transformations along semi-arid urbanization gradients. These mechanisms will be modeled and integrated into interactive visualization products that will aid in decision-making regarding urban development patterns and storm water management approaches.This research will help identify sources of surface water and groundwater nitrate contamination in arid and semi-arid deserts. Water is precious in these regions, yet increasing incidences of contamination of ground and surface waters threaten this vital resource. This research coordinates local (Tucson, Phoenix), state (Arizona), and federal (National Atmospheric Deposition Program/Environmental Protection Agency) resources to focus on a problem that has local, regional and global implications. The project will engage citizen-scientist volunteers, train graduate and undergraduate students in policy-relevant research, foster interactions between scientists and decision makers, and develop transferable visualization tools.

城市化极大地改变了半干旱生态系统中氮化合物的迁移和转化。特别是，在城市地区，尤其是在干旱和半干旱环境中，饮用水的硝酸盐污染是一个日益令人关切的问题，在这些地区，城市径流被积极管理，以补充地下水和增加供水。然而，水资源管理者和城市规划者缺乏关于什么样的生态系统特征在控制这种再生水的质量，特别是其硝酸盐浓度方面最重要的信息。这项研究将量化的来源，运输和命运的硝酸盐在暴雨径流的密度和类型的城市土地利用在图森和凤凰城（CAP LTER），亚利桑那州流域的变化。硝酸盐输出的季节性模式的特点，和新的同位素示踪技术将被用来了解硝酸盐的来源和机制控制氮转换沿着半干旱城市化梯度。这些机制将被建模并集成到交互式可视化产品中，这将有助于有关城市发展模式和雨水管理方法的决策，这项研究将有助于确定干旱和半干旱沙漠中地表水和地下水硝酸盐污染的来源。 这些地区的水资源十分宝贵，但地下水和地表水沃茨的发生率日益增加，威胁着这一重要资源。这项研究协调地方（图森，凤凰城），州（亚利桑那州），和联邦（国家大气沉积计划/环境保护局）的资源，集中在一个问题，具有地方，区域和全球的影响。该项目将吸引公民科学家志愿者，培训研究生和本科生进行政策相关研究，促进科学家和决策者之间的互动，并开发可转移的可视化工具。