Title |
Wetland Management Reduces Sediment and Nutrient Loading to the Upper Mississippi River
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Published in |
Journal of Environmental Quality, March 2013
|
DOI | 10.2134/jeq2012.0248 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Rebecca M. Kreiling, Joseph P. Schubauer‐Berigan, William B. Richardson, Lynn A. Bartsch, Peter E. Hughes, Jennifer C. Cavanaugh, Eric A. Strauss |
Abstract |
Restored riparian wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River basin have potential to remove sediment and nutrients from tributaries before they flow into the Mississippi River. For 3 yr we calculated retention efficiencies of a marsh complex, which consisted of a restored marsh and an adjacent natural marsh that were connected to Halfway Creek, a small tributary of the Mississippi. We measured sediment, N, and P removal through a mass balance budget approach, N removal through denitrification, and N and P removal through mechanical soil excavation. The marsh complex had average retention rates of approximately 30 Mg sediment ha yr, 26 kg total N ha yr, and 20 kg total P ha yr. Water flowed into the restored marsh only during high-discharge events. Although the majority of retention occurred in the natural marsh, portions of the natural marsh were hydrologically disconnected at low discharge due to historical over-bank sedimentation. The natural marsh removed >60% of sediment, >10% of P, and >5% of N loads (except the first year, when it was a N source). The marsh complex was a source of NH and soluble reactive P. The average denitrification rate for the marsh complex was 2.88 mg N m h. Soil excavation removed 3600 Mg of sediment, 5.6 Mg of N, and 2.7 Mg of P from the restored marsh. The marsh complex was effective in removing sediment and nutrients from storm flows; however, retention could be increased if more water was diverted into both restored and natural marshes before entering the river. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 43 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 23% |
Researcher | 8 | 19% |
Student > Master | 7 | 16% |
Student > Bachelor | 4 | 9% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 7% |
Other | 4 | 9% |
Unknown | 7 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Environmental Science | 13 | 30% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 6 | 14% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 5 | 12% |
Engineering | 3 | 7% |
Social Sciences | 1 | 2% |
Other | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 14 | 33% |