Groundwater nutrient concentrations during prairie reconstruction on an Iowa landscape
Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
By: M.D. Tomer, K. E. Schilling, C.A. Cambardella, P. Jacobson, and P. Drobney
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Abstract
One anticipated benefit of ecosystem restoration is water quality improvement. This study evaluated NO3-N and phosphorus in subsurface waters during prairie establishment following decades of row-crop agriculture. A prairie seeding in late 2003 became established in 2006. Wells and suction cup samplers were monitored for NO3-N and phosphorus. Nitrate-N varied with time and landscape position. Non-detectable NO3-N concentrations became modal along ephemeral drainageways in 2006, when average concentrations in uplands first became <10mg NO3-NL-1. This decline continued and upland groundwater averaged near 2mg NO3-NL-1 after 2007. The longer time lag in NO3-N response in uplands was attributed to greater quantities of leachable N in upland subsoils. Spatial differences in vadose-zone travel times were less important, considering water table dynamics. Phosphorus showed a contrasting landscape pattern, without any obvious temporal trend. Phosphorus was greatest along and near ephemeral drainageways. Sediment accumulation from upland agricultural erosion provided a source of P along drainageways, where shallow, reductive groundwater increased P solubility. Phosphorus exceeded eutrophication risk thresholds in these lower areas, where saturation-excess runoff could readily transport P to surface waters. Legacy impacts of past agricultural erosion and sedimentation may include soluble phosphorus in shallow groundwater, at sites prone to saturation-excess runoff. ?? 2010.
Suggested Citation
Tomer, M., Schilling, K.E., Cambardella, C., Jacobson, P., Drobney, P., 2010, Groundwater nutrient concentrations during prairie reconstruction on an Iowa landscape: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, v. 139, no. 1-2, p. 206-213, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.08.003.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Groundwater nutrient concentrations during prairie reconstruction on an Iowa landscape |
| Series title | Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.agee.2010.08.003 |
| Volume | 139 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Year Published | 2010 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment |
| First page | 206 |
| Last page | 213 |