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Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified), Open
Journal article
Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary
Journal of geophysical research. Biogeosciences, v 125(3), pn/a
01 Mar 2020
PMID: 32426203
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Tropical urban estuaries are severely understudied. Little is known about the basic biogeochemical cycles and dominant ecosystem processes in these waterbodies, which are often low lying and heavily modified. The San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an example of such a system. Over the past 80 years, a portion of the estuary has filled in, changing the hydrodynamics and negatively affecting water quality. Here we sought to document these changes using ecological and biogeochemical measurements of surface sediments and bivalves. Measurements of sediment physical characteristics, organic matter content, and stable isotope ratios (delta C-13, delta N-15, delta S-34) illustrated the effects of the closure of the Cano Martin Pena (CMP) on the hydrology and water quality of the enclosed and semi-enclosed parts of the estuary. The nitrogen stable isotope (delta N-15) values were lowest in the CMP, the stretch of the SJBE that is characterized by waters with low dissolved oxygen and high fecal coliform concentrations. Despite this, the results of this study indicate that nitrogen (N) contributions from N-fixing, sulfate-reducing microbes may meet or even exceed contributions from urban runoff and sewage. While the importance of sulfate reducers in contributing N to mangrove ecosystems is well documented, this is the first indication that such processes could be dominant in an intensely urban system. It also underscores just how little we know about tropical coastal ecosystems in densely populated areas throughout the globe.
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Details
- Title
- Unexpected Nitrogen Sources in a Tropical Urban Estuary
- Creators
- Autumn J. Oczkowski - Environmental Protection AgencyEmily A. Santos - University of Maryland College of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesRose M. Martin - Dataquest, 548 Market Street, 73537, San Francisco, CA 94104.Andrew B. Gray - University of California, RiversideAlana R. Hanson - Environmental Protection AgencyElizabeth B. Watson - Drexel UniversityEvelyn Huertas - US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2 Caribbean Office, City View Plaza 2, Suite 7000 Guaynabo, PR 00968.Cathleen Wigand - Environmental Protection Agency
- Publication Details
- Journal of geophysical research. Biogeosciences, v 125(3), pn/a
- Publisher
- Amer Geophysical Union
- Number of pages
- 16
- Grant note
- San Juan Bay Estuary Program CA-R-ENS-5120-H / USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Corporacion del Proyecto ENLACE del Cano Martin Pena
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000522353000001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85082419640
- Other Identifier
- 991019182666604721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary