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Effective Best Management Practices for Nitrogen Removal in Aquatic Ecosystems
Citation:
SHIELDS, A., P. M. MAYER, K. J. FORSHAY, BART FAULKNER, AND T. J. CANFIELD. Effective Best Management Practices for Nitrogen Removal in Aquatic Ecosystems. Presented at Regional Wetlands and Watershed Meeting, Kansas City, MO, April 07 - 11, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Present information at the Regional Wetlands and Watershed Meeting
Description:
Elevated nitrate levels in streams and groundwater are detrimental to human and ecosystem health. The Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division (GWERD) of the USEPA investigates best management practices (BMP’s) that enhance nitrogen removal in aquatic ecosystems throughout the United States. Research on a) stream restoration b) riparian buffer zones c) macrophytes and d) floodplain/wetland management is underway at GWERD in order to develop BMP’s that help restoration practitioners enhance ecosystem services such as nutrient processing, sediment control, temperature moderation, and biodiversity. An area of research emphasis at GWERD has been on how geomorphic stream restoration techniques might be employed to mitigate nitrogen pollution by promoting naturally occurring microbial processes (e.g. denitrification) that permanently remove nitrogen. Researchers at GWERD are developing cutting edge methods to monitor fate and transport of nitrogen and to develop models that relate nutrient retention metrics to load attenuation. New research focuses on utilizing stable isotopes of lipid bacterial biomarkers to provide a direct link between microbial ecology and biogeochemistry and elucidate the primary sources of carbon to denitrifying bacteria in restored suburban streams. Here, we demonstrate the research capabilities of GWERD and describe some research products intended to assist resource managers implement watershed management strategies.