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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #169876
Title: NITROGEN CYCLING IN WETLAND SYSTEMS

Author
item Hunt, Patrick
item Poach, Matthew
item Liehr, Sarah

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2005
Publication Date: 5/24/2005
Citation: Hunt, P.G., Poach, M.E., Liehr, S.K. 2004. Nitrogen cycling in wetland systems. Nutrient Management in Agricultural Watersheds - A Wetlands Solution Symposium, May 24-26, 2004, Wexford, Ireland. p. 93-104.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: When considering the management of N on an agricultural watershed, the cycling of N is paramount because N exists in many different oxidative and physical states. The cycle is active in the biology of both aerobic and anaerobic processes. Furthermore, the cycling of N in both natural and constructed wetlands is particularly dynamic and exceedingly valuable to N management for both productive agriculture and environmental quality. In this chapter, we illustrate N cycling in the context of three types of wetlands ' constructed, riparian, and in-stream. We present the higher than expected rates of denitrification in constructed wetland used for animal wastewater treatment as an example of denitrification via new pathways such as ANAMMOX that require less oxygen in the precursor oxidation of ammonia. We show the effectiveness of different riparian zones for stream buffering and denitrification, particularly noting that they appear to provide a reasonable balance for protecting both water and air quality. We emphasize the importance of in-stream wetlands for assimilations and transformations of N that escapes agricultural watersheds.