2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

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5/26/2021 | 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM | USING STREAM NITRATE SIGNALS TO UNDERSTAND LANDSCAPE CONTROLS ON STREAM CHEMISTRY | Virtual Platform

USING STREAM NITRATE SIGNALS TO UNDERSTAND LANDSCAPE CONTROLS ON STREAM CHEMISTRY

Stream nitrate signals reflect spatially aggregated biogeochemical and physical processes across a watershed and within the stream ecosystem. Stream processing and mixing of inflows with variable nitrate concentrations influence diel variation in nitrate signals in distinct ways, but the controls on the relative influence of the landscape units driving these processes remain unclear. We hypothesize that autotrophic uptake within the stream ecosystem combines with variable hydrologic connectivity with discrete landscape units to create distinct daily patterns of nitrate concentrations in parcels of water traveling a stream reach. We measured high-frequency changes in nitrate concentrations for parcels of water traveling reaches of two agricultural headwater streams in Central Montana. While both streams are highly productive, they have different hydrogeologic settings and varying contributions from riparian-processed low-nitrate water and upland high-nitrate waters. Preliminary data show differences between streams in the phase and amplitude of diel nitrate processing signals, as well as variation in daily average nitrate processing. These results suggest landscape controls on the influence of inflowing waters on diel variation in nitrate processing and stream nitrate concentrations.

Nutrients
Land use
Ecohydrology

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Presenters/Authors

Madison Foster (), Montana State University, madisonjfoster@gmail.com;