Nitrous oxide generation, denitrification, and nitrate removal in a seepage wetland intercepting surface and subsurface flows from a grazed dairy catchment

M. Zaman; M. L. Nguyen; A. J. Gold; P. M. Groffman; D. Q. Kellogg; R. J. Wilcock

doi:10.1071/SR07217

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Nitrous oxide generation, denitrification, and nitrate removal in a seepage wetland intercepting surface and subsurface flows from a grazed dairy catchment

M. Zaman ^A ^F , M. L. Nguyen ^B , A. J. Gold ^C , P. M. Groffman ^D , D. Q. Kellogg ^C and R. J. Wilcock ^E

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Summit-Quinphos (NZ) Ltd, Private Bag 3029, Waikato Mail Centre 3240, Hamilton, New Zealand.

^B Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food & Agriculture, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria.

^C Department of Natural Resources Sciences, Coastal Institute in Kingston, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.

^D Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Box AB, 65 Sharon Turnpike, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA.

^E National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA), PO Box 11 115, Hamilton, New Zealand.

^F Corresponding author. Email: zamanm_99@yahoo.com

Australian Journal of Soil Research 46(7) 565-577 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07217
Submitted: 27 November 2007 Accepted: 1 July 2008 Published: 8 October 2008

Abstract

Little is known about seepage wetlands, located within agricultural landscapes, with respect to removing nitrate (NO₃⁻) from agricultural catchments, mainly through gaseous emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and dinitrogen (N₂) via denitrification. These variables were quantified using a push–pull technique where we introduced a subsurface water plume spiked with ¹⁵N-enriched NO₃⁻ and 2 conservative tracers [bromide (Br⁻) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆)] into each of 4 piezometers and extracted the plume from the same piezometers throughout a 48-h period. To minimise advective and dispersive flux, we placed each of these push–pull piezometers within a confined lysimeter (0.5 m diameter) installed around undisturbed wetland soil and vegetation. Although minimal dilution of the subsurface water plumes occurred, NO₃⁻-N concentration dropped sharply in the first 4 h following dosing, such that NO₃⁻-limiting conditions (<2 mg/L of NO₃-N) for denitrification prevailed over the final 44 h of the experiment. Mean subsurface water NO₃⁻ removal rates during non-limiting conditions were 15.7 mg/L.day. Denitrification (based on the generation of isotopically enriched N₂O plus N₂) accounted for only 7% (1.1 mg/L.day) of the observed groundwater NO₃⁻ removal, suggesting that other transformation processes, such as plant uptake, were responsible for most of the NO₃⁻ removal. Although considerable increases in ¹⁵N-enriched N₂O levels were initially observed following NO₃⁻ dosing, no net emissions were generated over the 48-h study. Our results suggest that this wetland may be a source of N₂O emissions when NO₃⁻ concentrations are elevated (non-limited), but can readily remove N₂O (function as a N₂O sink) when NO₃⁻ levels are low. These results argue for the use of engineered bypass flow designs to regulate NO₃⁻ loading to wetland denitrification buffers during high flow events and thus enhance retention time and the potential for NO₃⁻-limiting conditions and N₂O removal. Although this type of management may reduce the full potential for wetland NO₃⁻ removal, it provides a balance between water quality goals and greenhouse gas emissions.

Additional keywords: bromide, denitrification, ¹⁵N, NO₃⁻ removal, N₂O, N₂, wetland, SF₆.

Acknowledgments

We thank Kelly Addy, James Sukias, Kerry Costley, and Ron Ovenden for technical assistance, and the landowner and farm manager for allowing us access to their land on which this study was conducted. Financial support from the University of Rhode Island and NIWA to Art Gold’s sabbatical visit is also gratefully acknowledged. This project was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology (FRST) under Contract C01X0305.

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