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This study was designed to improve our understanding of, and mechanistically simulate, nitrate (NO3) dynamics in a steep 9.8 ha rural headwater catchment, including its production in soil and delivery to a stream via surface and subsurface processes. A two-dimensional modelling approach was evaluated for (1) integrating these processes at a hillslope scale annually and within storms, (2) estimating denitrification, and (3) running virtual experiments to generate insights and hypotheses about using trees in streamside management zones (SMZs) to mitigate NO3 delivery to streams. Total flow was mathematically separated into quick- and slow-flow components; the latter was routed through the HYDRUS software with a nitrogen module designed for constructed wetlands. Flow was monitored for two years. High surface-soil NO3 concentrations started to be delivered to the stream via preferential subsurface flow within two days of the storm commencing. Groundwater NO3-N concentrations decreased from 1.0 to less than 0.1 mg l−1 from up-slope to down-slope water tables, respectively, which was attributed to denitrification. Measurements were consistent with the flushing of NO3 mainly laterally from surface soil during and following each storm. The model accurately accounted for NO3 turnover, leading to the hypotheses that denitrification was a minor flux (

Seasonal measurements of dissolved organic matter (DOM) fluorescence characteristics were combined with weekly to bi-weekly measurements of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) (including particulate, dissolved organic and inorganic forms) and chlorophyll to determine how riverine inputs and autochthonous production influence DOM and nutrient dynamics in the Swan-Canning estuary, Western Australia. Estuarine concentrations of C, N, and P were influenced by multiple factors, including the seasonal riverine flux of DOM, N, and P, the regeneration of mainly inorganic N and P from benthic anoxia, and the delivery of DOM and nutrients from urban drains. Parallel factor analysis of excitation-emission matrices identified eight fluorescence components that were used to fingerprint three distinct sources of estuarine DOM: (1) riverine DOM derived mainly from vascular plant material, (2) autochthonous DOM recently produced within the estuary (indicated by tryptophan-like fluorescence), and (3) autochthonous DOM originating from within the lower estuary or coastal marine environment enriched in marine humic-like and tyrosine-like fluorescence. Overall, fluorescence DOM characteristics shifted from humic-like in the upper and mid-estuary to protein-like in the lower estuary, which likely reflects the increased contribution of autochthonous relative to terrigenous DOM closer to the estuary mouth. Our findings show that DOM composition varies with season and estuary position as riverine DOM inputs, mainly from terrestrial plant material, are supplemented by autochthonous DOM contributions associated with discrete inputs of inorganic nutrients.

The bioavailability and composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) were examined in 10 major sub-catchments of the Swan-Canning estuary, which bisects the city of Perth, in south-western Australia. Catchments contain a mix of forest, agriculture, and urban-dominated land-use, with the degree of development increasing near the city center. We incubated water samples from the 10 sub-catchments for 14 days at 25°C, and measured changes in DOC and DON and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). A greater proportion of DON (4–44%) was decomposed compared to DOC (1–17%). Both agricultural and urban catchments had high proportions of bioavailable DOC and DON, but overall DOC and DON losses were greatest in urban catchments. Using resin isolation techniques, we found that DOC was concentrated in the hydrophobic (humic) fraction, whereas DON had both hydrophobic and hydrophilic (non-humic) fractions. Hydrophobic DOC content was positively related to DOC decomposition. In contrast, DON decomposition was highly correlated with hydrophilic DON content and inversely related to the hydrophilic DOC/DON ratio, indicating a labile fraction of DON from non-humic sources. Taken together, these relationships suggest that bioavailable DOC may be supplied in part from terrestrial plant material, but bioavailable DON is likely to be from highly labile sources, possibly autochthonous or anthropogenic. Overall, labile DON was greater than initial DIN concentration at seven of ten sites and was even dominant in highly developed catchments. This study highlights the importance of organic N in urbanizing coastal catchments that, in addition to DIN, may serve as a readily available source of N for in-stream and estuarine production.

Permafrost and fire are important regulators of hydrochemistry and landscape structure in the discontinuous permafrost region of interior Alaska. We examined the influence of permafrost and a prescribed burn on concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and other solutes (, Ca2+, K+, Mg2+, Na+) in streams of an experimentally burned watershed and two reference watersheds with varying extents of permafrost in the Caribou–Poker Creeks Research Watershed in interior Alaska. The low-permafrost watershed has limited permafrost (3%), the high-permafrost watershed has extensive permafrost (53%), and the burn watershed has intermediate permafrost coverage (18%). A three end-member mixing model revealed fundamental hydrologic and chemical differences between watersheds due to the presence of permafrost. Stormflow in the low-permafrost watershed was dominated by precipitation and overland flow, whereas the high-permafrost watershed was dominated by flow through the active layer. In all watersheds, organic and groundwater flow paths controlled stream chemistry: DOC and DON increased with discharge (organic source) and base cations and (from weathering processes) decreased. Thawing of the active layer increased soil water storage in the high-permafrost watershed from July to September, and attenuated the hydrologic response and solute flux to the stream. The FROSTFIRE prescribed burn, initiated on 8 July 1999, elevated nitrate concentrations for a short period after the first post-fire storm on 25 July, but there was no increase after a second storm in September. During the July storm, nitrate export lagged behind the storm discharge peak, indicating a flushing of soluble nitrate that likely originated from burned soils. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the contents of water-extractable organic carbon (WOC) and minerals were measured in moss and soils before and after a prescribed fire in interior Alaska to clarify the effect of the fire on the DOC dynamics in soil with discontinuous permafrost. The DOC concentration in the soil solution retrieved from suction cup lysimeters in the moss layer decreased from 30 (± 8.7 SD) mg C L -1 before the fire to 11-14 (± 7.2-8.9 SD) mg C L -1 1 month after the fire. The WOC content in the moss layer (including black carbon) 1 year after the fire was significantly lower in the burned plots (0.2-0.7 mg C g -1 ) compared to the controls (2.8-4.7 mg C g -1 ). The water extractable inorganic mineral contents in the moss layer were also lower in the burned plots, especially for iron, aluminum, potassium, and sodium. Our results indicated that the fire significantly decreased the DOC concentration in the surface moss layer compared to that in the unburned site about 1 month after the fire and also decreased the contents of WOC and water-extractable inorganic cations in the moss layer compared to the unburned site even 1 year after the fire.

The winter season has been identified as a significant contributor to N 2 O emissions from boreal soils, but our understanding of the processes regulating these emissions is fragmentary. We investigated potential N-sources and pathways involved in N 2 O formation in a frozen boreal forest soil by labeling soil samples with 15 N-containing substrates, and measured rates of 15 N 2 O/ 15 N 2 formation under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Our results showed that all N 2 O produced in the frozen samples originate from denitrification, but the rate-limiting factor is NO 3 − availability, which is largely governed by nitrification. This suggests that N 2 O formation in frozen boreal soils may be sustained for a prolonged period of time, but is governed by a delicate balance of the O 2 regime.

Few measurements of nitrogen fixation exist for streams. Desertstreams are warm, well lighted, and often supportabundant cyanobacterial populations; thus N2 fixationmay be significant in these N-poor ecosystems. N2fixation was measured in situ by acetylene reductionfor two patch types (Anabaena mat and anepilithic assemblage). Patch-specific rates were highcompared with published values (maximum 775 µgN2 [83 µmol C2H4]mg chl a -1 h-1or 51 mg N2 [5.4 mmol C2H4] m-2 h-1).Daytime fixation was higher than nighttimefixation, and temperature, light and inorganic Nconcentration explained 52% of variance in hourlyrates over all dates. Diel input-output budgets wereconstructed on five dates when cyanobacteria werepresent in the stream. Diel N2 fixation rates weremeasured for comparison with reach-scale diel nitrogenretention, to assess the importance of this vector to Neconomy of the stream. Fixation accounted for up to85% of net N flux to the benthos, but its importancevaried seasonally. Finally, we applied biomass-specificfixation rates to 1992 and 1993 biomass data to obtainseasonal and annual N2 fixation estimates.Cyanobacteria were absent or rare during winter andspring, thus most of the annual N2 fixation occurredduring summer and autumn. Annual rates of nitrogenfixation for 1992 and 1993 (8.0 g/m2 and 12.5g/m2) were very high compared to other streams,and moderately high compared to other ecosystems.Like other phenomena in this disturbance-proneecosystem, nitrogen fixation is strongly influenced bythe number and temporal distribution of flood events.

Increases in the impervious area due to urbanisation have been shown to have negative impacts on the physical and ecological condition of streams, primarily through increased volume and frequency of runoff. The harvesting and detention of runoff has a potential to decrease this impact. This paper describes the effects of urbanisation on catchment flow and of stormwater harvesting on reducing those adverse impacts on a stream in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. A largely undeveloped catchment located southeast of Brisbane city was calibrated and validated using the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). This model was used to investigate the effect of a range of future increases in urbanisation (represented by impervious area) on stream hydrology as well as the potential of stormwater harvesting to return the catchments to predevelopment flow conditions. Stormwater harvesting was modelled according to flow frequency measures specified in current SEQ development guidelines. These guidelines stipulate the capture of the first 10 mm of runoff from impervious areas of 0–40% and the first 15 mm from impervious areas of 40% or greater for urban developments. We found that increases in the impervious area resulted in increases in the mean, frequency and duration of high flows, and an increase in the mean rate of rise and fall for storm events in the catchment. However, the predevelopment (non-urbanised) flow distribution was very flashy in comparison with all urbanised scenarios; i.e. it had the quickest response to rainfall indicated by a high rate of rise to and fall from peak flow volume, followed by a return to zero flow conditions. Capturing the runoff according to the development guidelines resulted in a reduction in flow towards the flow distribution of a lower impervious area, however this was insufficient to meet predevelopment conditions. This suggests a stronger influence of impervious areas in this catchment on the volume of runoff than flow frequency measures are able to ameliorate.

[1] In this study we examine the hydrological processes that underpin non-stationarity in hydrological prediction. This is achieved by analysis of linkages between rainfall, groundwater storage, and runoff in Southwest Western Australia (SWWA), a region experiencing stream flow decline since the mid-1970s. We find a close connection between rainfall and changes in catchment groundwater storage, with increases in storage in years with annual rainfall above a threshold (1050–1400 mm), and declines during low rainfall years. Where groundwater is in contact with the stream bed, runoff, as a proportion of rainfall, is highly correlated with groundwater storage. Recent drought years have reduced groundwater storage and runoff ratio. In the absence of replenishing wetter years, lower runoff ratios are subsequently maintained. Runoff from a given depth of annual rainfall is now far lower than that produced 15 years ago. In this way groundwater storage acts as the catchment's “memory”. This study highlights the importance of catchment groundwater storage that may be used to improve runoff prediction in a drying climate.

[1] Streams draining urban and agriculture catchments are often a source of inorganic nutrients to downstream aquatic ecosystems, but little is known about how changes in land use influence the quality and biodegradability of dissolved organic matter (DOM). We used parallel factor analysis of excitation‐emission fluorescence spectroscopy and biodegradation incubations to examine how DOM composition influences bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in surface waters of urban and agricultural catchments during summer (low flow), winter (high flow) and spring (flow recession). Percent bioavailable DOC was variable for all catchments (2–57%) and negatively related to percent humic‐like fluorescence, but positively related to percent protein‐like fluorescence and simple fluorescence metrics of DOM precursor material (fluorescence index and b:a values). Conversely, highly variable DOC concentrations (2–140 mg L −1 ) were negatively related to protein‐like fluorescence and positively related to humic‐like fluorescence. Elevated concentrations of DOC (>30 mg L −1 ) in agro‐urban streams revealed fluorescence indices (

[1] Southwest Western Australia (SWWA) has experienced a 15–20% reduction in rainfall since the 1970s with severe reductions in inflows to Perth drinking water reservoirs. To quantify rainfall and runoff patterns, we used trend and change point analyses for a 50 year record (1950–2008) and in the last two decades (1989–2008). From 1950–2008, trend tests showed significant declines in annual rainfall and runoff with corresponding change points for both rainfall and flow in the late 1960s or mid-1970s. In the more recent record (1989–2008), runoff declined in the majority of catchments, but rainfall did not show a significant downward trend. Rather, streamflow decline was observed as a step change in response to the occurrence of below-average rainfall years. A shift from perennial to ephemeral streams and a decline in the runoff coefficient (runoff/rainfall) in the last decade suggests a new hydrologic regime has developed with important implications for future surface water supply.

[1] Coastal regions in many regions of the world are under increasing pressure from the expansion of agriculture and urbanization associated with elevated N and P loading and eutrophication of coastal estuaries. I compared how mixed land use catchments deliver dissolved and particulate forms of C, N, and P in streamflow to the Swan-Canning estuary that bisects Perth, Western Australia. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) composed the majority of the total C and N load, particulate C and N fluxes were minor, and P fluxes were evenly split between soluble reactive phosphorus and particulate/organic P. In contrast to current biogeochemical theory, DON export was dominant in urban and agricultural catchments in the low-gradient environment of the Swan Coastal Plain, whereas NO3 export was a greater factor in higher-gradient, forested catchments on the urban fringe. This trend suggests that hydrologic conditions that supported coastal wetlands prior to human development may still promote DON mobilization as well as dissolved inorganic nitrogen loss along hydrologic flow paths. Substantial variability in export of C, N, and P across catchments highlights the unique hydrologic properties of Australian catchments. Areal C, N, and P export was significantly related to catchment runoff which was lowest in a catchment with inland drainage, but greatest in urban catchments with impervious surfaces and shallow groundwater. The effective delivery of DOC and DON to aquatic ecosystems in urbanizing coastal catchments underscores the importance of restoration efforts that address hydrologic retention as well as the source and bioavailability of dissolved organic matter.

Hydrologic and biotic control of nitrogen export during snowmelt: A combined conservative and reactive tracer approach

[1] Frequent measurements of stream chemistry during snowmelt and summer storms were used in three watersheds that differ in permafrost coverage (high, 53%; medium, 18%; and low, 4%) to determine the role of water flow paths on the fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and major solutes from Alaskan catchments. Permafrost was important in the seasonal pattern of stream chemistry as there was a distinct shift in chemistry and flow from winter through snowmelt and into summer in the permafrost-dominated catchment. Furthermore, the active layer above the permafrost was important for the late summer release of NO3 and DOC, suggesting a deeper active layer may increase N and C loss in permafrost-dominated areas. Overall, permafrost constrained water flow to the active layer, resulting in higher DOC but lower dissolved mineral fluxes (Ca 2+ Mg 2+ K + Na + )i n the high-permafrost watershed than in the watersheds with less permafrost coverage. However, the decline in dissolved mineral fluxes was not linearly related to permafrost coverage across watersheds. The flux of weathering ions may also be explained by total water runoff, since the medium-permafrost watershed, which had the greatest runoff on an areal basis, yielded the greatest loss of all major elements (Ca 2+ Mg 2+ K + Na + SO4 NO3 NH4 Cl) except DOC. Despite differences among watersheds in permafrost coverage, hydrologic flow paths, area, and total runoff, all watersheds were net sources of every individual ions or elements (Cl ,P O4 ,S O4 , DOC, DON, NO3 ,N a + ,K + Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ ) except NH4 , which was a small fraction of the total N concentration in streams.

Hydrological processes exert strong control over biological and climatic processes in every ecosystem. They are particularly important in the boreal zone, where the average annual temperatures of the air and soil are relatively near the phase-change temperature of water (Chapter 4). Boreal hydrology is strongly controlled by processes related to freezing and thawing, particularly the presence or absence of permafrost. Flow in watersheds underlain by extensive permafrost is limited to the near-surface active layer and to small springs that connect the surface with the subpermafrost groundwater. Ice-rich permafrost, near the soil surface, impedes infiltration, resulting in soils that vary in moisture content from wet to saturated. Interior Alaska has a continental climate with relatively low precipitation (Chapter 4). Soils are typically aeolian or alluvial (Chapter 3). Consequently, in the absence of permafrost, infiltration is relatively high, yielding dry surface soils. In this way, discontinuous permafrost distribution magnifies the differences in soil moisture that might normally occur along topographic gradients. Hydrological processes in the boreal forest are unique due to highly organic soils with a porous organic mat on the surface, short thaw season, and warm summer and cold winter temperatures. The surface organic layer tends to be much thicker on north-facing slopes and in valley bottoms than on south-facing slopes and ridges, reflecting primarily the distribution of permafrost. Soils are cooler and wetter above permafrost, which retards decomposition, resulting in organic matter accumulation (Chapter 15). The markedly different material properties of the soil layers also influence hydrology. The highly porous near-surface soils allow rapid infiltration and, on hillsides, downslope drainage. The organic layer also has a relatively low thermal conductivity, resulting in slow thaw below thick organic layers. The thick organic layer limits the depth of thaw each summer to about 50–100 cm above permafrost (i.e., the active layer). As the active layer thaws, the hydraulic properties change. For example, the moisture-holding capacity increases, and additional subsurface layers become available for lateral flow. The mosaic of Alaskan vegetation depends not only on disturbance history (Chapter 7) but also on hydrology (Chapter 6).

[1] We constructed annual nitrogen budgets for four years for three watersheds underlain with discontinuous permafrost in interior Alaska. During all years, nitrogen export in stream flow exceeded input from deposition, with loss rate greatest from the two watersheds with the lowest spatial extents of permafrost. Elevated nitrogen export appears to be common in regions with discontinuous permafrost, based on nitrogen concentration in streams spanning a latitudinal gradient in permafrost coverage. This pattern of nitrogen loss is counter to temperate regions, where watersheds retain nitrogen even with elevated atmospheric deposition, and unexpected, given that terrestrial primary production appears to be nitrogen limited.

Purpose In Australia, farmers and natural resource managers are striving to enhance environmental outcomes at farm and catchment scales by planting streamside management zones (SMZs) on farms with trees and other perennial vegetation. Lack of sound information on and funding for establishing and managing trees in SMZs is hindering wide-scale adoption of this practice. Australian Codes of Forest Practice discourage or prevent harvesting of trees in SMZs of perennial streams. One concern is the potential effect of tree harvesting in SMZs on delivery of sediment to adjacent streams. The aims of this paper were to summarize the literature relevant to this concern and, in one case study in an agricultural context, to determine the effects on turbidity of harvesting a SMZ plantation.