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Dual Nitrate Isotopes in Dry Deposition: Utility for Partitioning Nox Source Contributions to Landscape Nitrogen Deposition
Citation:
Elliott, E. M., C. Kendall, E. B. Boyer, D. A. Burns, G. LEAR, H. E. GOLDEN, K. Harlin, A. Bytnerowicz, T. J. Butler, AND R. Glatz. Dual Nitrate Isotopes in Dry Deposition: Utility for Partitioning Nox Source Contributions to Landscape Nitrogen Deposition. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 114(G04020):1-15, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
To demonstrate the utility of passive samplers for collecting nitric acid suitable for isotopic analysis; this represents a significant cost savings over active sampling techniques and will allow a more extensive understanding of the spatial distribution of dry deposition and associated sources across landscapes.
Description:
Dry deposition is a major component of total nitrogen deposition and thus an important source of bioavailable nitrogen to ecosystems. However, relative to wet deposition, less is known regarding the sources and spatial variability of dry deposition. This is in part due to difficulty in measuring dry deposition and associated deposition velocities. Passive sampling techniques offer new potential for improving our understanding of the spatial distribution and sources of dry deposition. We present dual nitrate isotopes (δ15N and (δ18O) in actively and passively collected dry and wet deposition across the high deposition region of Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Isotopes in actively collected dry deposition, including particulate nitrate and gaseous nitric acid, are compared with those in wet nitrate deposition and surrounding NOx emission sources.
