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Denitrification controls in urban riparian soils: implications for reducing urban nonpoint source nitrogen pollution

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to thoroughly analyze the influences of environmental factors on denitrification processes in urban riparian soils. Besides, the study was also carried out to identify whether the denitrification processes in urban riparian soils could control nonpoint source nitrogen pollution in urban areas. The denitrification rates (DR) over 1 year were measured using an acetylene inhibition technique during the incubation of intact soil cores from six urban riparian sites, which could be divided into three types according to their vegetation. The soil samples were analyzed to determine the soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), C/N ratio, extractable NO3 −-N and NH4 +-N, pH value, soil water content (SWC), and the soil nitrification potential to evaluate which of these factors determined the final outcome of denitrification. A nitrate amendment experiment further indicated that the riparian DR was responsive to added nitrate. Although the DRs were very low (0.099 ~ 33.23 ng N2O-N g−1 h−1) due to the small amount of nitrogen moving into the urban riparian zone, the spatial and temporal patterns of denitrification differed significantly. The extractable NO3 −-N proved to be the dominant factor influencing the spatial distribution of denitrification, whereas the soil temperature was a determinant of the seasonal DR variation. The six riparian sites could also be divided into two types (a nitrate-abundant and a nitrate-stressed riparian system) according to the soil NO3 −-N concentration. The DR in nitrate-abundant riparian systems was significantly higher than that in the nitrate-stressed riparian systems. The DR in riparian zones that were covered with bushes and had adjacent cropland was higher than in grass-covered riparian sites. Furthermore, the riparian DR decreased with soil depth, which was mainly attributed to the concentrated nitrate in surface soils. The DR was not associated with the SOC, STN, C/N ratio, and pH. Nitrate supply and temperature finally decided the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of urban riparian denitrification. Considering both the low DR of existing riparian soils and the significance of nonpoint source nitrogen pollution, the substantial denitrification potential of urban riparian soils should be utilized to reduce nitrogen pollution using proper engineering measures that would collect the polluted urban rainfall runoff and make it flow through the riparian zones.

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Acknowledgments

This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40903049 and Grant No. 40971259), the Ministry of Science and Technology Project (Grant No. 2010BAK69B15), the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural development of China (Grant No. 2009ZX07317-006), and the Science & Technology Department of Shanghai (Grant Nos. 10JC1404300 and 11230705800).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environment Science, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, China

    Yangjie Li, Zhenlou Chen, Huanjie Lou, Dongqi Wang & Huanguang Deng

  2. School of Tourism, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200235, China

    Chu Wang

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  1. Yangjie Li
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  2. Zhenlou Chen
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Correspondence to Zhenlou Chen.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Li, Y., Chen, Z., Lou, H. et al. Denitrification controls in urban riparian soils: implications for reducing urban nonpoint source nitrogen pollution. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 10174–10185 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2944-2

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