Abstract
The nitrogen (N) budget calculation approach is a useful means of evaluating the impact of human activity on the N cycle. Field scale N budget calculations may ignore the interactions between landscapes, and regional scale calculations rely on statistical data and indirect parameters. Watershed scale budget calculations allow for a more direct quantification of N inputs and outputs. We conducted N budget calculations for a rice paddy-dominated agricultural watershed in eastern China for 2007–2009, based on intensive monitoring of stream N dynamics, atmospheric deposition, ammonia (NH3) volatilization and household interviews about N-related agricultural activities. The results showed that although total N input to the watershed was up to 280 kg N ha−1 year−1, riverine discharge was only 4.2 kg N ha−1 year−1, accounting for 1.5% of the total N input, and was further reduced to 2.0 kg N ha−1 year−1 after reservoir storage and/or denitrification removal. The low riverine N output was because of the characteristics of the rice paddy-dominated landscape, which intercepts run-off and enhances soil denitrification. The watershed actually purified the N in rainwater, as N concentrations in river discharge were much lower than those in rain water. Major N outputs included food/feed export, NH3 volatilization from chemical fertilizer and manure, and emissions from crop residue burning. Net reactive gaseous emissions (emissions minus deposition) accounted for 5.5% of the total N input, much higher than riverine discharge. Therefore, the agricultural N cycle in such paddy-dominated watersheds impacts the environment mainly through gas exchange rather than water discharge.
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Abbreviations
- NANI:
-
Net anthropogenic nitrogen input
- N:
-
Nitrogen
- TN:
-
Total dissolved nitrogen
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Acknowledgments
This study was financed by Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Science (No. KZCX2-YW-GJ01) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40721140018, 41071196).
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Yan, X., Cai, Z., Yang, R. et al. Nitrogen budget and riverine nitrogen output in a rice paddy dominated agricultural watershed in eastern China. Biogeochemistry 106, 489–501 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-010-9528-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-010-9528-0