Fertilized and reference tidal creek sediment chlorophyll a and pheophytin concentrations following whole core incubations, Ipswich and Rowley, MA

Summary

Short name: 

LTE-TIDE-LENS-BEN-Chla

Abstract: 

Salt marsh ecosystems serve as critical nutrient filters by removing reactive nitrogen (N) through denitrification. We examined the influence of long-term fertilization on N transformation and removal in a salt marsh tidal creek ecosystem fringing the Plum Island Sound estuary in northern Massachusetts, USA. Sediment oxygen demand was within the range of other marsh systems (1271.9 to 7855.0 μmol m−2 h−1) and was not significantly different between the fertilized and reference creek. Net N2 fluxes ranged from net N fixation of −402.7 μmol N2-N m−2 h−1 in the reference creek to net denitrification of 524.9 μmol N2-N m−2 h−1 in the fertilized creek. Net N2 flux and nitrate uptake were significantly higher in the fertilized creek, and in both creeks, net denitrification appeared to be nitrate limited. We calculated rates of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and found it to be significantly higher in the fertilized creek, representing 45 and 11% of the total nitrate uptake in the fertilized and reference creeks, respectively. Additionally, there was a strong relationship between ammonium and nitrite fluxes in both creeks. These results suggest that DNRA may outcompete denitrification at high nitrate concentrations. Increased anthropogenic nutrient loading may therefore have a detrimental effect on the N removal capacity of salt marsh ecosystems. (From: Vieillard and Fulweiler (2012) Marine Ecology Progress Series 147: 11-22. DOI:10.3354/meps10013).

Data set ID: 

350

EML revision ID: 

1
Published on EDI/LTER Data Portal

Citation Suggestion: 

Fulweiler, R., Vieillard, A., 2015. Fertilized and reference tidal creek sediment chlorophyll a and pheophytin concentrations following whole core incubations, Ipswich and Rowley, MA Environmental Data Initiative. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/c7f811f3071d62851c989c315928d1cd
Categories
Dates

Date Range: 

Friday, August 20, 2010 to Saturday, August 13, 2011

Publication Date: 

Saturday, December 12, 2015
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