Using15N to determine a budget for effluent-derived nitrogen applied to forest
Abstract
Using stable N isotopes, the fate of effluent-derived N has been determined within a land based municipal effluent irrigation scheme. Over 900 metric tonnes(t) of effluent-derived N have been applied to 192 ha of production conifer forest near Rotorua (NZ) over the past 11 years. The effluent N has a natural isotopic signal, generated by the treatment process, allowing it to be traced into various components of the system. Using this isotopic signal, a realistic approximation of storage capacity of various components of the system has been generated, including a calculation of the contribution of effluent N exiting the catchment via stream flow. Forest storage accounts for 50% of the applied N with a considerable proportion of that immobilized in wood and soil. The wetland, although not intensively sampled, retains 115 t, (13%) of the applied N. Denitrification, including that occurring within the wetland, accounts for 23 t (3%). Nitrogen isotope data confirm that the rise in NO3 concentrations is directly attributable to effluent N. Currently 88% of NO3-N in the stream is effluent-derived. Using current N isotope values for the stream and extrapolating over the discharge period, export of effluent N via the stream is estimated as 263 t (29%) of the applied N. Overall the forest and wetland ecosystem has intercepted or denitrified 65% of applied N, with 29% lost to the stream, and 50 t (5%) unaccounted for. The forest ecosystem is currently over-supplied with N and a number of management implications flows from these findings. In the long term the continued application of effluent N to the current irrigation area is not sustainable.
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Free-draining soils at the Rotorua site are not able to hold sufficient moisture to limit O2 diffusion into the soil, which limited denitrification despite large amounts of N added.
“The soils are free-draining and are not able to hold sufficient moisture to limit O 2 diffusion into the soil, which limited denitrification despite large amounts of N added to the soil (Barton et al., 1999;Tozer et al., 2005).”
From Long-term nitrate removal in a denitrification wall (2011) · cites this paper as Tozer et al., 2005
An N budget using natural abundance 15N tracers showed that about 50% of added N was stored in the forest, 13% in wetland biomass, and only 2% was denitrified.
“An N budget of the system measured with natural abundance 15 N tracers showed that about 50% of the added N was stored in the forest, the majority in the soil, while 13% was stored in wetland biomass, and only 2% was denitrified (Tozer et al. 2005).”
From Long-term nitrate removal in a denitrification wall (2011) · cites this paper as Tozer et al. 2005
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Long-term nitrate removal in a denitrification wall
Long, L. M., Schipper, L. A., & Bruesewitz, D. A. (2011) · Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment · doi:10.1016/j.agee.2011.02.005 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
- Authors
- Tozer, W. C., Wilkins, K. J., Wang, H., van den Heuvel, M., Charleson, T., & Silvester, W. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Waikato (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Tozer, W. C.
- Venue
- Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2005-03
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 13-30
- ISSN
- 1025-6016 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-2639
- OpenAlex
- W1965016190
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2022: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 0.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Keywords
- municipal wastewater irrigation, nitrogen balance, coniferous forest, denitrification, nitrate export, stream nitrate, nitrogen immobilization, sustainable irrigation management
- MeSH terms
- New Zealand, Nitrates, Nitrogen, Nitrogen Isotopes, Trees, Water Supply, Ecosystem, Biomass, Rivers
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