Journalartikel

Jahr der Veröffentlichung: 2019

Zeitschrift: Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

Bandnummer: 283

ISSN: 0167-8809

eISSN: 1873-2305

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.106577

Verlag: Elsevier

Abstract: 
A surface-flow constructed wetland to retain nitrogen was created between an agricultural tile-drainage plot and the outflow-receiving river in a maritime rural area of north-eastern Germany close to the southern Baltic Sea. The nitrogen loads were monitored from October to May over a period of four years at the inlet and outlet using high-frequency water sampling and flow measuring to assess the performance of the wetland. The effects of the physical boundary conditions on the nitrogen retention processes were analyzed by measuring meteorological indicators and water temperatures in the wetland as well as by a detailed mass balance calculation. The development of vegetation and the sedimentation of carbon and nitrogen in the wetland were also recorded. The results showed that the nitrogen retention efficiency of the wetland decreased with increasing nitrogen loading, while it increased with increasing residence times and temperatures. We conclude that the hydraulic retention time should be > 20 days and the water temperature should be > 8 degrees C in order to be able to effectively retain nitrogen. However, both conditions were only met from spring to autumn. In these periods, the development of dense, structure-rich macrophyte vegetation and the sedimentation of carbon and nitrogen quickly provided good conditions for nitrogen retention. In autumn and spring, however, less than 20% of the annual nitrogen load was observed. The total nitrogen loading was reduced by only 2.9% during the four monitored years. The study results suggest that the meteorological and hydrological conditions were not conducive to achieve a significant nitrogen retention with the help of surface-flow constructed wetlands in this climatic region. The successful implementation of wetlands in the maritime rural area close to the Baltic Sea should therefore consider the inner-annual distribution of the outflows from the tile drainage plot.

Harvard-Zitierstil: Steidl, J., Kalettka, T. and Bauwe, A. (2019) Nitrogen retention efficiency of a surface-flow constructed wetland receiving tile drainage water: A case study from north-eastern Germany, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 283, Article 106577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.106577

APA-Zitierstil: Steidl, J., Kalettka, T., & Bauwe, A. (2019). Nitrogen retention efficiency of a surface-flow constructed wetland receiving tile drainage water: A case study from north-eastern Germany. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 283, Article 106577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.106577