Groundwater-surface water interactions and agricultural nutrient transport in a Great Lakes clay plain system

Abstract

Agricultural nutrient contamination is a serious concern for surface and groundwater quality within the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). A year-long field-based watershed-scale study was executed to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of phosphorus and nitrate in surface and subsurface pathways in an agriculturally-dominated clay plain system within the GLB.Samples from were analyzed for total, total dissolved, soluble reactive, and particulate phosphorus, and nitrate-N to examine the dynamics of key hydrological pathways for transport of agriculturally-derived nutrients in this system. Surface runoff and tile drains were the dominant transport pathways in the watershed, while groundwater was not considered to be a significant contributor of nutrients to the stream. No distinct relationship was observed between nutrient concentrations in the hyporheic zone and the hydrologic connection between groundwater and surface water. The results of this research are imperative for refining and executing nutrient management strategies and agricultural best management practices in the basin.

Groundwater phosphorus concentrations: global trends and links with agricultural and oil and gas activities

“…The identification of agricultural land as areas likely to have high P concentrations in groundwater in Canada suggests there may be policy-based and commercial mitigation opportunities [58]. Examples of mitigative action include limits on phosphorus application to the soil [3,59] or the use of more advanced fertilizer formulations [60] to prevent phosphorus overfertilization in agricultural areas which may result in P loss to runoff and leaching to groundwater.…”

Radium Isotopes and Hydrochemical Signatures of Surface Water-Groundwater Interaction in the Salt-Wedge Razdolnaya River Estuary (Sea of Japan) in the Ice-Covered Period

“…Surface water-groundwater (SW-GW) interaction significantly influences the biogeochemistry of rivers [1], lakes [2], and coastal salt marshes [3], and the ecology along sea coasts around the world [4]. In coastal basins, SW-GW interaction has an effect on estuary ecosystems [5,6], including the formation of water with low dissolved oxygen (DO) in saltwedge estuaries [7].…”