Stacked conservation practices reduce nitrogen loss: A paired watershed study

Ji Yeow Law; Leigh Ann Long; Amy Kaleita; Matthew Helmers; Conrad Brendel; Katherine van der Woude; Michelle Soupir

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114053

Stacked conservation practices reduce nitrogen loss: A paired watershed study

J Environ Manage. 2022 Jan 15;302(Pt A):114053. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114053. Epub 2021 Nov 3.

Authors

Ji Yeow Law¹, Leigh Ann Long², Amy Kaleita², Matthew Helmers², Conrad Brendel³, Katherine van der Woude⁴, Michelle Soupir²

Affiliations

¹ Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 605 Bissell Rd, Ames IA, 50011, USA. Electronic address: jiyeow@iastate.edu.
² Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 605 Bissell Rd, Ames IA, 50011, USA.
³ Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 605 Bissell Rd, Ames IA, 50011, USA; Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Folkborgsvägen 17, 601 76, Norrköping, Sweden.
⁴ Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 605 Bissell Rd, Ames IA, 50011, USA; Dep. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St. Golden, CO, 80401, USA.

PMID: 34741942
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114053

Abstract

Combinations of best management practices (BMPs) are needed to achieve nutrient reduction goals in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB), but field results are crucial to encourage stacked adoption of BMPs. A paired catchment-scale study (2015-18) was done to assess the impact of (i) BMPs, (ii) precipitation patterns, and (iii) seasonality on nitrogen (N) export. Flow-weighted samples were collected and analyzed for total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrate (NO₃-N), and total nitrogen (TN). Catchments Low-BMP 11 and High-BMP 12 had 27.6% and 87.6% areal coverage of BMPs, respectively. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in TAN concentrations was found between Low-BMP 11 (0.023 mg L^-1) and High-BMP 12 (0.020 mg L^-1). However, NO₃-N and TN concentrations were significantly higher (p < 0.05) at Low-BMP 11 (NO₃-N: 26.0 mg L^-1, TN: 28.7 mg L^-1) than at High-BMP 12 (NO₃-N: 8.8 mg L^-1, TN: 9.2 mg L^-1). Two precipitation factors that affected N export patterns were observed. First, N flushing could continue for several years after a drought as elevated NO₃-N concentrations were observed in 2015 (i.e., two years after the 2011-2013 drought). Second, higher annual N export was observed when more precipitation occurred during the pre-planting or early-growing season versus later periods. For both catchments, the highest 50% of flows were responsible for majority of the NO₃-N export. We estimated that 33-37%, 61-62%, and 82-85% of the NO₃-N loads occurred in the 90th, 75th, and 50th flow percentiles, respectively. As demonstrated in High-BMP 12, stacked BMP application effectively lowered NO₃-N and TN loads by 60.3% and 59.1%, respectively, relative to Low-BMP 11. Although 27.6% BMP coverage area in Low-BMP 11 was considered low for this study, this coverage area is higher than many other parts of the MARB. This research highlights the importance of joint efforts between landowners in a watershed to meet downstream water quality goals.

Keywords: Best management practices; Drought; Nitrogen export; Nitrogen flushing; Nutrient management plans; Stacked conservation practices.

MeSH terms

Agriculture
Environmental Monitoring
Nitrogen* / analysis
Rivers
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis
Water Quality

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Nitrogen