M. Maag et al., KINETICS AND TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF POTENTIAL DENITRIFICATION IN RIPARIAN SOILS, Journal of environmental quality, 26(1), 1997, pp. 215-223
We studied factors influencing potential denitrification activity (PDA
) in anaerobic soil samples amended with NO3- from a riparian meadow w
ith agricultural uplands, and a reedswamp receiving nitrate-containing
creek water at two loading rates, Both sites had high levels of PDA (
3-28 mg N kg(-1) h(-1)), which decreased exponentially with depth, Hig
h correlations were seen between PDA and mineralizable and water solub
le C. At the meadow site, high apparent K-m values (29-51 mu M N) were
found in the upper 150 cm of the soil profile due to a lateral flow o
f nitrate-rich water, Below this depth, K-m values were 10 to 30 times
lower due to the influence of nutrient poor groundwater, In the 0- to
10-cm profile of the reedswamp soil, the highest apparent K-m (89 mu
M N) was found on the high load site, while no differences between the
high and low load sites were seen below this depth (range 0.6-11 mu M
N). The capacity to reduce nitrate (V-max) was in the order riparian
meadow congruent to high loaded reedswamp > low loaded reedswamp, The
activation energy for PDA ranged from 47 to 89 kJ mol(-1), and Q(10) f
or the 5 to 15 degrees C interval ranged from 2 to 3.8, Our data sugge
st that long-term use of riparian areas to attenuate high loads of NO3
- can increase the maximum NO3- removal capacity of these areas, but a
t the same time increase the concentration of NO3- in water leaving th
is area compared with water leaving low loaded sites.