Effects of Sedimentation on Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Riparian Forests

Lockaby, B. Graeme; Governo, Robin; Schilling, Erik; Cavalcanti, Guadalupe G.; Hartsfield, C.

doi:10.2134/jeq2005.0390

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…), and microbial C and N when sedimentation rates were high (>0.32 cm/yr) (Lockaby et al. ). Generally, there were no changes in mineralization laterally across the floodplain in zones of differing relative elevation, with the exception of ammonification, which was greater at higher elevations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Floodplain Trapping and Cycling Compared to Streambank Erosion of Sediment and Nutrients in an Agricultural Watershed

Gillespie

Noe

Hupp

et al. 2018

J American Water Resour Assoc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Floodplains and streambanks can positively and negatively influence downstream water quality through interacting geomorphic and biogeochemical processes. Few studies have measured those processes in agricultural watersheds. We measured inputs (floodplain sedimentation and dissolved inorganic loading), cycling (floodplain soil nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P] mineralization), and losses (bank erosion) of sediment, N, and P longitudinally in stream reaches of Smith Creek, an agricultural watershed in the Valley and Ridge physiographic province. All study reaches were net depositional (floodplain deposition > bank erosion), had high N and P sedimentation and loading rates to the floodplain, high soil concentrations of N and P, and high rates of floodplain soil N and P mineralization. High sediment, N, and P inputs to floodplains are attributed to agricultural activity in the region. Rates of P mineralization were much greater than those measured in other studies of nontidal floodplains that used the same method. Floodplain connectivity and sediment deposition decreased longitudinally, contrary to patterns in most watersheds. The net trapping function of Smith Creek floodplains indicates a benefit to water quality. Further research is needed to determine if future decreases in floodplain deposition, continued bank erosion, and the potential for nitrate leaching from nutrient‐enriched floodplain soils could pose a long‐term source of sediment and nutrients to downstream rivers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Floodplain processes such as sediment and nutrient inputs and nutrient biogeochemistry also vary longitudinally from upper to lower watersheds, largely due to stream slope gradients (Arp and Cooper ; Lockaby et al. ; Noe et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Floodplain Trapping and Cycling Compared to Streambank Erosion of Sediment and Nutrients in an Agricultural Watershed

Gillespie

Noe

Hupp

et al. 2018

J American Water Resour Assoc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the importance of riparian forests in sediment retention is well documented (Craft and Casey, 2000; Heimann and Roell, 2000; Hupp and Bazemore, 1993; Hupp and Morris, 1990; Kleiss, 1993, 1996; Noe and Hupp, 2005; Wardrop and Brooks, 1998), the effect of sediment deposition on the overall integrity of riparian systems is less well understood (Cavalcanti, 2004; Jurik et al, 1994; Koning, 2004; Lockaby et al, 2005). Sedimentation in forested riparian wetlands averages between 0.02 and 8.0 cm yr −1 (Cooper et al, 1987; Heimann and Roell, 2000; Hupp and Bazemore, 1993; Hupp et al, 2008; Hupp and Morris, 1990; Hupp et al, 1993; Kleiss, 1996; Rybczyk et al, 2002; Wardrop and Brooks, 1998), with some floodplains receiving as much as 79 cm yr −1 (Pierce, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sedimentation in forested riparian wetlands averages between 0.02 and 8.0 cm yr −1 (Cooper et al, 1987; Heimann and Roell, 2000; Hupp and Bazemore, 1993; Hupp et al, 2008; Hupp and Morris, 1990; Hupp et al, 1993; Kleiss, 1996; Rybczyk et al, 2002; Wardrop and Brooks, 1998), with some floodplains receiving as much as 79 cm yr −1 (Pierce, 2005). These sediments carry nutrients, which could act as either a stress through microbial immobilization (Lockaby et al, 2005) or subsidy for vegetation through plant nutrient uptake (Baker et al, 2001b; Hupp, 2000; Naiman and Decamps, 1997). The purpose of this study was to determine how sediment deposition affects the productivity of ephemeral headwater riparian forests.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Systems that are deficient in both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) may benefit from increased nutrient importation associated with low levels of sedimentation (Lockaby and Conner, 1999; Vitousek and Howarth, 1991). However, it has been suggested that burial of stems by high rates of sediment deposition may create anoxic conditions, similar to the stress posed by flooding (Cavalcanti, 2004; Cavalcanti and Lockaby, 2005; Ewing, 1996; Kleiss, 1996; Lockaby et al, 2005). In a precursor to the present study, Cavalcanti and Lockaby (2005) found decreased above‐ and belowground productivity with long‐term sedimentation rates as low as 0.2 to 0.3 cm yr −1 over a two‐decade period.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Productivity of Ephemeral Headwater Riparian Forests Impacted by Sedimentation in the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain

Jolley

Lockaby

Cavalcanti³

2009

J of Env Quality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Riparian forests serve an essential function in improving water quality through the filtering of sediments and nutrients from surface runoff. However, little is known about the impact of sediment deposition on productivity of riparian forests. Sediment inputs may act as a subsidy to forest productivity by providing additional nutrients for plant uptake or may act as a stress by creating anoxic soil conditions. This study determined how sediment deposition affected riparian forests along ephemeral headwater streams at Ft. Benning, Georgia, USA. Above- and belowground productivity, leaf-area index (LAI), and standing crop biomass for fine roots, shrubs, and trees were compared along a gradient of present sedimentation rates in 17 riparian forests. Annual litterfall production was determined from monthly collections using 0.25- m(2) traps; woody biomass was determined from annual diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements using species-specific allometric equations; fine root productivity was determined using sequential coring; LAI was measured by expanding specific leaf area by annual litterfall production; and shrub biomass was determined using species-specific biomass equations based on height and root collar diameter. Significant declines in litterfall, woody biomass production, fine root production, LAI, and shrub biomass were found with as little as 0.1 to 0.4 cm yr(-2) sedimentation. We conclude that the levels of sedimentation in this study do not subsidize growth in ephemeral headwater riparian forests but instead create a stress similar to that found under flooded conditions.

show abstract

Joint isotopic mass balance: a novel approach to quantifying channel bed to channel margins sediment transfer during storm events

Underwood

Renshaw

Dade

et al. 2015

Earth Surf Processes Landf

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The important role of floodplains and the broader riparian zone in providing temporary storage for a large fraction of the annual sediment load of rivers is well established, but this understanding is largely based on observations of the long-term average behavior of the catchment. Here we combine measurements of the fallout radionuclides 7 Be and 210 Pb and the stable isotopes of hydrogen in water to quantify fine sediment mobilization and storage in a stream and its channel margins during individual intermediate-sized storm events with recurrence intervals of a few months or less. We demonstrate this method using five storm events in a small (~15 km 2 ), undeveloped, gravel-bedded tributary of the Connecticut River (USA). We estimate that in each storm, the mass of sediment deposited onto the margins accounts for almost 90% of the sediment mobilized from the bed, with the remainder of the mobilized bed sediment transported downstream as suspended load. The result that the bed is a net source of sediment to the stream and the margins a net sink is robust, but estimates of the mass of material eroded from the bed and deposited on the margins are less certain. The source of sediment to the bed remains unclear as, consistent with earlier studies, we observe only limited deposition of sediment to the bed during the storm events. The suspended sediment is organic-rich and thus its source may be associated with in-channel organic decay between storm events. Understanding the coupled interactions between discharge magnitude and frequency and sediment resupply at the event time scale has important implications for stream restoration efforts seeking to connect the channel and the broader riparian zone, and for the development of accurate sediment budgets and predictions of sediment flux from a watershed.

show abstract

Effects of Sedimentation on Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Riparian Forests

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

Floodplain Trapping and Cycling Compared to Streambank Erosion of Sediment and Nutrients in an Agricultural Watershed

Floodplain Trapping and Cycling Compared to Streambank Erosion of Sediment and Nutrients in an Agricultural Watershed

Productivity of Ephemeral Headwater Riparian Forests Impacted by Sedimentation in the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain

Joint isotopic mass balance: a novel approach to quantifying channel bed to channel margins sediment transfer during storm events

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About