Abstract
We examined the hydrologic controls on nitrogen biogeochemistry in the hyporheic zone of the Tanana River, a glacially-fed river, in interior Alaska. We measured hyporheic solute concentrations, gas partial pressures, water table height, and flow rates along subsurface flowpaths on two islands for three summers. Denitrification was quantified using an in situ 15NO −3 push–pull technique. Hyporheic water level responded rapidly to change in river stage, with the sites flooding periodically in mid−July to early−August. Nitrate concentration was nearly 3-fold greater in river (ca. 100 μg NO −3 –N l−1) than hyporheic water (ca. 38 μg NO −3 –N l−1), but approximately 60–80% of river nitrate was removed during the first 50 m of hyporheic flowpath. Denitrification during high river stage ranged from 1.9 to 29.4 mg N kg sediment−1 day−1. Hotspots of methane partial pressure, averaging 50,000 ppmv, occurred in densely vegetated sites in conjunction with mean oxygen concentration below 0.5 mgO2 l−1. Hyporheic flow was an important mechanism of nitrogen supply to microbes and plant roots, transporting on average 0.41 gNO −3 –N m−2 day−1, 0.22 g NH +4 –N m−2 day−1, and 3.6 g DON m−2 day−1 through surface sediment (top 2 m). Our results suggest that denitrification can be a major sink for river nitrate in boreal forest floodplain soils, particularly at the river-sediment interface. The stability of the river hydrograph and the resulting duration of soil saturation are key factors regulating the redox environment and anaerobic metabolism in the hyporheic zone.
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Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Nicolas Lisuzzo, Karl Olson, Jessica Eichmiller, Kelly Balcarczyk, Emma Betts and Jon O’Donnell for their assistance in the field and laboratory. We also thank Richard Boone, who provided valuable comments on the research and manuscript. Thanks to Larry Hinzman for help with the experimental design and well installation. This work was supported by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Bonanza Creek LTER Program (funded jointly by NSF grant DEB-0423442 and USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station grant PNW01-JV11261952-231). Additional assistance was provided by the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research, the Center for Global Change, and University of Alaska Fairbanks.
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Clilverd, H.M., Jones, J.B. & Kielland, K. Nitrogen retention in the hyporheic zone of a glacial river in interior Alaska. Biogeochemistry 88, 31–46 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9192-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-008-9192-9