Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164727 |
Licence  |
|
| Title (Primary) | Improving an existing proxy-based approach for floodplain denitrification assessment to facilitate decision making on restoration |
| Author | Kaden, U.S.
; Schulz-Zunkel, C.; Fuchs, E.; Horchler, P.; Kasperidus, H.D.; de Moraes Bonilha, O.; Rupp, H.; Tschikof, M.; Weigelhofer, G.; Hein, T.; Scholz, M.
|
| Source Titel | Science of the Total Environment |
| Year | 2023 |
| Department | NSF; BOSYS |
| Volume | 892 |
| Page From | art. 164727 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Keywords | Nitrate retention; Ecosystem functions; Floodplain management; River flood model; Elbe; Rhine |
| Abstract | Excess nitrogen (N) from agricultural sources is a major
contributor to the water pollution of rivers in Europe. Floodplains are of
tremendous importance as they can permanently remove nitrate (NO3)
from the environment by releasing reactive N to the atmosphere in its gaseous
forms (N2O, N2) during denitrification. However, the
quantitative assessment of this ecosystem function is still challenging,
particularly on the national level. In this study, we modeled the potential of
NO3-N removal through microbial denitrification in soils of the
active floodplains of the river Elbe and river Rhine in Germany. We combined
laboratory measurements of soil denitrification potentials with straightforward
modelling data, covering the average inundation duration from six study areas,
to improve an existing Germany-wide proxy-based approach (PBAe) on NO3-N
retention potential. The PBAe estimates this potential to be 30–150 kg NO3-N ha−1 yr−1.
However, with soil pH and Floodplain Status Category identified as essential
parameters for the proxies, the improved PBA (PBAi) yields a removal potential
of 5–480 kg N ha−1 yr−1. To account
for these parameters, we applied scaling factors using a bonus-malus system
with a base value of 10–120 N ha−1 yr−1.
Upscaling the determined proxies of the PBAi to the entire active floodplains
of the river Elbe and river Rhine results in similarly high NO3-N
retention sums of ~7000 t yr−1 in spite of very different
retention area sizes, strengthening the argument for area availability as the
primary objective of restoration efforts. Although PBAs are always subject to
uncertainty, the PBAi enables a more differentiated spatial quantification of
denitrification because local key controlling parameters are included. Hence,
the PBAi is an innovative and robust approach to quantify denitrification in
floodplain soils, supporting a better assessment of ecosystem services for
decision-making on floodplain restoration.  |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=27156 |
| Kaden, U.S., Schulz-Zunkel, C., Fuchs, E., Horchler, P., Kasperidus, H.D., de Moraes Bonilha, O., Rupp, H., Tschikof, M., Weigelhofer, G., Hein, T., Scholz, M. (2023): Improving an existing proxy-based approach for floodplain denitrification assessment to facilitate decision making on restoration Sci. Total Environ. 892 , art. 164727 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164727 |
|