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Livestock manure driving stream nitrate

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Abstract

Growth and consolidation in the livestock industry in the past 30 years have resulted in more total farm animals being raised on fewer Iowa farms. The effects of this on stream water quality at the landscape scale have largely gone unexplored. The main objective of this work was to quantify the effects on stream nitrate levels of livestock concentration in two western Iowa watersheds relative to seven other nearby watersheds. To achieve this objective, we used data on high-frequency nitrate concentration and stream discharge, commercial nitrogen fertilizer use, and manure-generated nitrogen in each watershed. Our analysis shows much higher stream nitrate in the two watersheds where livestock concentration has been greatest, and little difference in commercial fertilizer inputs with the widespread availability of manure N. Reducing N inputs and better management of manure N, including analysis of crop N availability in soil and manure, can reduce uncertainty regarding fertilization while improving water quality.

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Acknowledgements

This publication was prepared by the authors with funds from the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center or Iowa State University. The authors thank Dan Gilles for graphics assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Iowa, 332 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Christopher S. Jones

  2. Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering, University of Iowa, 100 C. Maxwell, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Chad W. Drake

  3. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, USA

    Claire E. Hruby

  4. Iowa Geological Survey, 334 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City, USA

    Keith E. Schilling

  5. Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, IA, 50319, USA

    Calvin F. Wolter

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  1. Christopher S. Jones
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Correspondence to Christopher S. Jones.

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Jones, C.S., Drake, C.W., Hruby, C.E. et al. Livestock manure driving stream nitrate. Ambio 48, 1143–1153 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1137-5

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