IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i24p16848-d1004521.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

High-Frequency Monitoring to Estimate Loads and Identify Nutrient Transport Dynamics in the Little Auglaize River, Ohio

Author

Listed:
  • Shannon Pace

    (School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA)

  • James M. Hood

    (Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA)

  • Heather Raymond

    (Office for Research and Graduate Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA)

  • Brigitte Moneymaker

    (Ohio State University Extension, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA)

  • Steve W. Lyon

    (School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA)

Abstract

New technologies allow for the in situ monitoring of nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, in water systems at increasingly higher temporal frequencies. These technologies allow for the near-continuous monitoring of water quality, which can potentially provide new perspectives on temporal variations in nutrient concentrations and transport dynamics, ultimately supporting more targeted and sustainable water management. The current study investigated the utility of monitoring nitrate-N and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) in situ using wet analytical chemistry for one year at 2-h intervals in a small agricultural watershed located in northwestern Ohio. While we saw large variability in the estimated nutrient loads due to daily variations in the high-temporal resolution nutrient concentrations, the nutrient loads were fundamentally driven by high-flow events for this agricultural watershed. Concentration–discharge relations were then developed to help identify how nutrients are stored and released over time scales ranging from low-flow seasonal responses to event-driven high-flow storms. The patterns in the concentration–discharge relations indicated a potential shift in the timing of the mobilization responses for SRP at the event scale over the course of the year. These results suggest that SRP-targeted management practices would need to intercept the dominant delivery pathways of phosphorus in the watershed, such as the tile drainage runoff, to help reduce phosphorus loading. For nitrate-N, patterns in the concentration–discharge relations revealed an increased mobilization response, which was seen during the growing season with low-flow conditions, indicating the potential role of biological uptake instreams across the lowest flows and concentrations of the year. Collectively, high-frequency temporal nutrient data monitored over individual events and across seasons offer guidance for management decisions while allowing us to track progress toward water quality goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Shannon Pace & James M. Hood & Heather Raymond & Brigitte Moneymaker & Steve W. Lyon, 2022. "High-Frequency Monitoring to Estimate Loads and Identify Nutrient Transport Dynamics in the Little Auglaize River, Ohio," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-17, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:24:p:16848-:d:1004521
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16848/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16848/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liu, Wenlong & Youssef, Mohamed A. & Birgand, François P. & Chescheir, George M. & Tian, Shiying & Maxwell, Bryan M., 2020. "Processes and mechanisms controlling nitrate dynamics in an artificially drained field: Insights from high-frequency water quality measurements," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    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. Chelil, Samy & Henine, Hocine & Chaumont, Cedric & Tournebize, Julien, 2022. "NIT-DRAIN model to simulate nitrate concentrations and leaching in a tile-drained agricultural field," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:24:p:16848-:d:1004521. 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.