IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i4p2175-d749213.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Variability of Potential Soil Nitrogen Cycling Rates in Stormwater Bioretention Facilities

Author

Listed:
  • Erin N. Rivers

    (Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA)

  • Jennifer L. Morse

    (Department of Environmental Science and Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA)

Abstract

Low-impact development (LID) is a common management practice used to infiltrate and filter stormwater through vegetated soil systems. The pollutant reduction potential of these systems is often characterized by a single pollutant removal rate; however, the biophysical properties of soils that regulate the removal of pollutants can be highly variable depending on environmental conditions. The goal of this study was to characterize the variability of soil properties and nitrogen (N) cycling rates in bioretention facilities (BRFs). Soil properties and potential N cycling processes were measured in nine curbside bioretention facilities (BRFs) in Portland, OR during summer and winter seasons, and a subset of six sites was sampled seasonally for two consecutive years to further assess temporal variability in soil N cycling. Potential N cycling rates varied markedly across sites, seasons, and years, and higher variability in N cycling rates was observed among sites with high infiltration rates. The observed seasonal and annual changes in soil parameters suggest that nutrient removal processes in BRFs may be highly variable across sites in an urban landscape. This variability has important implications for predicting the impacts of LID on water quality through time, particularly when estimated removal rates are used as a metric to assess compliance with water quality standards that are implemented to protect downstream ecosystems.

Suggested Citation

  • Erin N. Rivers & Jennifer L. Morse, 2022. "Variability of Potential Soil Nitrogen Cycling Rates in Stormwater Bioretention Facilities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:2175-:d:749213
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/4/2175/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/4/2175/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. A. Marissa Matsler & Thaddeus R. Miller & Peter M. Groffman, 2021. "The Eco-Techno Spectrum: Exploring Knowledge Systems’ Challenges in Green Infrastructure Management," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 49-62.
    2. Daniel Johnson & Judith Exl & Sylvie Geisendorf, 2021. "The Potential of Stormwater Management in Addressing the Urban Heat Island Effect: An Economic Valuation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Katya Coelho & João Almeida & Fernando Castro & André Ribeiro & Tiago Teixeira & Paulo Palha & Nuno Simões, 2022. "Experimental Characterisation of Different Ecological Substrates for Use in Green Roof Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Paul Osmond & Sara Wilkinson, 2021. "City Planning and Green Infrastructure: Embedding Ecology into Urban Decision-Making," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 1-4.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:4:p:2175-:d:749213. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.