Nitrate loads from land to stream are balanced by in-stream nitrate uptake across seasons in a dryland stream network.

ABSTRACT: Exploring nitrogen dynamics in stream networks is critical for understanding how these systems attenuate nutrient pollution while maintaining ecological productivity. We investigated Oak Creek, a dryland watershed in central Arizona, USA, to elucidate the relationship between terrestrial nitrate (NO₃ ^-) loading and stream NO₃ ^- uptake, highlighting the influence of land cover and hydrologic connectivity. We conducted four seasonal synoptic sampling campaigns along the 167-km network combined with stream NO₃ ^- uptake experiments (in 370-710-m reaches) and integrated the data in a mass-balance model to scale in-stream uptake and estimate NO₃ ^- loading from landscape to the stream network. Stream NO_3<

SUBMITTER: Handler AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11864276 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature