Articles | Volume 23, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1355-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-1355-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Sources and fate of nitrate in groundwater at agricultural operations overlying glacial sediments
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
School of Earth Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
Mike Iwanyshyn
Natural Resources Conservation Board, Calgary, AB, T2P 0R4, Canada
Jacqueline Kohn
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Irrigation and Farm Water Branch, Edmonton, AB, T6H 5T6, Canada
M. Jim Hendry
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
Related authors
Sarah A. Bourke, Margaret Shanafield, Paul Hedley, Sarah Chapman, and Shawan Dogramaci
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 809–836, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-809-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a hydrological framework for understanding the mechanisms supporting the persistence of water in pools along non-perennial rivers. Pools may collect water after rainfall events, be supported by water stored within the river channel sediments, or receive inflows from regional groundwater. These hydraulic mechanisms can be identified using a range of diagnostic tools (critiqued herein). We then apply this framework in north-west Australia to demonstrate its value.
Sarah A. Bourke, Margaret Shanafield, Paul Hedley, and Shawan Dogramaci
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-133, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-133, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers in semi-arid regions are subject to increasing pressure from altered hydrology. This paper presents a new hydrologic framework for persistent river pools so that risks to pool water quality or quantity can be addressed based on common language and understanding. Four dominant mechanisms that support pool persistence are identified each with varying degrees of connection to groundwater and differing controls on groundwater sources. Field methods and pool susceptibility are also discussed.
Sarah A. Bourke, Margaret Shanafield, Paul Hedley, Sarah Chapman, and Shawan Dogramaci
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 809–836, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-809-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-809-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a hydrological framework for understanding the mechanisms supporting the persistence of water in pools along non-perennial rivers. Pools may collect water after rainfall events, be supported by water stored within the river channel sediments, or receive inflows from regional groundwater. These hydraulic mechanisms can be identified using a range of diagnostic tools (critiqued herein). We then apply this framework in north-west Australia to demonstrate its value.
Sarah A. Bourke, Margaret Shanafield, Paul Hedley, and Shawan Dogramaci
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-133, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-133, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers in semi-arid regions are subject to increasing pressure from altered hydrology. This paper presents a new hydrologic framework for persistent river pools so that risks to pool water quality or quantity can be addressed based on common language and understanding. Four dominant mechanisms that support pool persistence are identified each with varying degrees of connection to groundwater and differing controls on groundwater sources. Field methods and pool susceptibility are also discussed.
Related subject area
Subject: Groundwater hydrology | Techniques and Approaches: Mathematical applications
Technical note: Removing dynamic sea-level influences from groundwater-level measurements
Estimating karst groundwater recharge from soil moisture observations – a new method tested at the Swabian Alb, southwest Germany
Present and future thermal regimes of intertidal groundwater springs in a threatened coastal ecosystem
Understanding the potential of climate teleconnections to project future groundwater drought
Contaminant source localization via Bayesian global optimization
Analysis of three-dimensional unsaturated–saturated flow induced by localized recharge in unconfined aquifers
Analysis of groundwater flow and stream depletion in L-shaped fluvial aquifers
On the coupled unsaturated–saturated flow process induced by vertical, horizontal, and slant wells in unconfined aquifers
Technical Note: Three-dimensional transient groundwater flow due to localized recharge with an arbitrary transient rate in unconfined aquifers
Thermal damping and retardation in karst conduits
Large-scale 3-D modeling by integration of resistivity models and borehole data through inversion
Estimation of heterogeneous aquifer parameters using centralized and decentralized fusion of hydraulic tomography data
Analysis of groundwater drought building on the standardised precipitation index approach
Anomalous frequency characteristics of groundwater level before major earthquakes in Taiwan
Transient drawdown solution for a constant pumping test in finite two-zone confined aquifers
Scale dependency of fractional flow dimension in a fractured formation
Groundwater fluctuations in heterogeneous coastal leaky aquifer systems
Application of integral pumping tests to investigate the influence of a losing stream on groundwater quality
Patrick Haehnel, Todd C. Rasmussen, and Gabriel C. Rau
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 2767–2784, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2767-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-2767-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
While groundwater recharge is important for water resources management, nearshore sea levels can obscure this signal. Regression deconvolution has previously been used to remove other influences from groundwater levels (e.g., barometric pressure, Earth tides) by accounting for time-delayed responses from these influences. We demonstrate that it can also remove sea-level influences from measured groundwater levels.
Romane Berthelin, Tunde Olarinoye, Michael Rinderer, Matías Mudarra, Dominic Demand, Mirjam Scheller, and Andreas Hartmann
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 385–400, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-385-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-385-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Karstic recharge processes have mainly been explored using discharge analysis despite the high influence of the heterogeneous surface on hydrological processes. In this paper, we introduce an event-based method which allows for recharge estimation from soil moisture measurements. The method was tested at a karst catchment in Germany but can be applied to other karst areas with precipitation and soil moisture data available. It will allow for a better characterization of karst recharge processes.
Jason J. KarisAllen, Aaron A. Mohammed, Joseph J. Tamborski, Rob C. Jamieson, Serban Danielescu, and Barret L. Kurylyk
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 4721–4740, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4721-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-4721-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used a combination of aerial, thermal, hydrologic, and radionuclide monitoring to investigate intertidal springs flowing into a coastal lagoon with a threatened ecosystem. Field data highlight the critical hydrologic and thermal role of these springs in the nearshore zone, and modelling results reveal that the groundwater springs will likely warm substantially in the coming decades due to climate change. Springs sourced from shallower zones in the aquifer will warm first.
William Rust, Ian Holman, John Bloomfield, Mark Cuthbert, and Ron Corstanje
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 3233–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3233-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3233-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We show that major groundwater resources in the UK exhibit strong multi-year cycles, accounting for up to 40 % of total groundwater level variability. By comparing these cycles with recorded widespread groundwater droughts over the past 60 years, we provide evidence that climatic systems (such as the North Atlantic Oscillation) ultimately drive drought-risk periods in UK groundwater. The recursive nature of these drought-risk periods may lead to improved preparedness for future droughts.
Guillaume Pirot, Tipaluck Krityakierne, David Ginsbourger, and Philippe Renard
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 351–369, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-351-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-351-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To localize the source of a contaminant in the subsurface, based on concentration observations at some wells, we propose to test different possible locations and minimize the misfit between observed and simulated concentrations. We use a global optimization technique that relies on an expected improvement criterion, which allows a good exploration of the parameter space, avoids the trapping of local minima and quickly localizes the source of the contaminant on the presented synthetic cases.
Chia-Hao Chang, Ching-Sheng Huang, and Hund-Der Yeh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3951–3963, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3951-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-3951-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Existing analytical solutions associated with groundwater recharge are only applicable to the studies of saturated flow in aquifers. This paper develops an analytical solution for 3-D unsaturated–saturated flow due to localized recharge into an unconfined aquifer. The effects of unsaturated flow on the recharge process are analyzed. The present solution agrees well with a finite-difference solution. The solution’s predictions also match well with observed data obtained by a field experiment.
Chao-Chih Lin, Ya-Chi Chang, and Hund-Der Yeh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2359–2375, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2359-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-2359-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
An semanalytical model is developed for estimating the groundwater flow and stream depletion rates (SDR) from two streams in an L-shaped fluvial aquifer located at Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The predicted spatial and temporal hydraulic heads agree well with those of simulations and measurements. The model can be applied to evaluate the contribution of extracted water from storage and nearby streams.
Xiuyu Liang, Hongbin Zhan, You-Kuan Zhang, and Jin Liu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 1251–1262, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1251-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-1251-2017, 2017
Chia-Hao Chang, Ching-Sheng Huang, and Hund-Der Yeh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 1225–1239, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1225-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-1225-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Most previous solutions for groundwater flow due to localized recharge assumed either aquifer incompressibility or 2-D flow without vertical flow. This paper develops a 3-D flow model for hydraulic head change induced by the recharge with random transient rates in a compressible unconfined aquifer. The analytical solution of the model for the head is derived. The quantitative criteria for the validity of those two assumptions are presented by the developed solution.
A. J. Luhmann, M. D. Covington, J. M. Myre, M. Perne, S. W. Jones, E. C. Alexander Jr., and M. O. Saar
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 137–157, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-137-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-137-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Water temperature is a non-conservative tracer. Variations in recharge temperature are damped and retarded as water moves through an aquifer due to heat exchange between water and rock. This paper presents relationships that describe thermal damping and retardation in karst conduits determined using analytical solutions and numerical simulations, with some support provided by field data. These relationships may be used with field data to estimate unknown flow path geometry in karst aquifers.
N. Foged, P. A. Marker, A. V. Christansen, P. Bauer-Gottwein, F. Jørgensen, A.-S. Høyer, and E. Auken
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4349–4362, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4349-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4349-2014, 2014
A. H. Alzraiee, D. Baú, and A. Elhaddad
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3207–3223, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3207-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-3207-2014, 2014
J. P. Bloomfield and B. P. Marchant
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 4769–4787, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4769-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-4769-2013, 2013
C.-H. Chen, C.-H. Wang, S. Wen, T.-K. Yeh, C.-H. Lin, J.-Y. Liu, H.-Y. Yen, C. Lin, R.-J. Rau, and T.-W. Lin
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1693–1703, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1693-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-1693-2013, 2013
C.-T. Wang, H.-D. Yeh, and C.-S. Tsai
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 441–449, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-441-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-441-2012, 2012
Y.-C. Chang, H.-D. Yeh, K.-F. Liang, and M.-C. T. Kuo
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2165–2178, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2165-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-2165-2011, 2011
M.-H. Chuang, C.-S. Huang, G.-H. Li, and H.-D. Yeh
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 1819–1826, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-1819-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-1819-2010, 2010
S. Leschik, A. Musolff, R. Krieg, M. Martienssen, M. Bayer-Raich, F. Reinstorf, G. Strauch, and M. Schirmer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 13, 1765–1774, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-13-1765-2009, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-13-1765-2009, 2009
Cited articles
Arauzo, M.: Vulnerability of groundwater resources to nitrate pollution: A
simple and effective procedure for delimiting Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, Sci.
Total Environ., 575, 799–812, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.139, 2017.
Aravena, R., Evans, M., and Cherry, J. A.: Stable isotopes of oxygen and
nitrogen in source identification of nitrate from septic systems, Groundwater,
31, 180–186, 1993.
Ascott, M. J., Gooddy, D. C., Wang, L., Stuart, M. E., Lewis, M. A., Ward, R.
S., and Binley, A. M.: Global patterns of nitrate storage in the vadose zone,
Nat. Commun., 8, 1416, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01321-w, 2017.
Baily, A., Rock, L., Watson, C., and Fenton, O.: Spatial and temporal variations
in groundwater nitrate at an intensive dairy farm in south-east Ireland: Insights
from stable isotope data, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 144, 308–318, 2011.
Baram, S., Kurtzman, D., and Dahan, O.: Water percolation through a clayey
vadose zone, J. Hydrol., 424–425, 165–171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.12.040, 2012.
Böhlke, J. K. and Denver, J. M.: Combined use of groundwater dating,
chemical, and isotopic analyses to resolve the history and fate of nitrate
contamination in two agricultural watersheds, Atlantic Coastal Plain, Maryland,
Water Resour. Res., 31, 2319–2339, https://doi.org/10.1029/95WR01584, 1995.
Böttcher, J., Strebel, O., Voerkelius, S., and Schmidt, H. L.: Using
isotope fractionation of nitrate-nitrogen and nitrate-oxygen for evaluation
of microbial denitrification in a sandy aquifer, J. Hydrol., 114, 413–424,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(90)90068-9, 1990.
Bourke, S. A., Cook, P. G., Dogramaci, S., and Kipfer, R.: Partitioning sources
of recharge in environments with groundwater recirculation using carbon-14 and
CFC-12, J. Hydrol., 525, 418–428, 2015a.
Bourke, S. A., Turchenek, J., Schmeling, E. E., Mahmood, F. N., Olson, B. M.,
and Hendry, M. J.: Comparison of continuous core profiles and monitoring wells
for assessing groundwater contamination by agricultural nitrate, Ground Water
Monit. Remediat., 35, 110–117, 2015b.
Choi, W.-J., Lee, S.-M., and Ro, H.-M.: Evaluation of contamination sources of
groundwater using nitrogen isotope data: A review, Geosci. J.,
7, 81–87, 2003.
Clague, J. C., Stenger, R., and Clough, T. J.: Evaluation of the stable isotope
signatures of nitrate to detect denitrification in a shallow groundwater system
in New Zealand, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 202, 188–197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2015.01.011, 2015.
Clark, I. D. and Fritz, P.: Environmental Isotopes in Hydrogeology, CRC Press,
Boca Raton, Florida, 1997.
Critchley, K., Rudolph, D., Devlin, J., and Schillig, P.: Stimulating in situ
denitrification in an aerobic, highly permeable municipal drinking water aquifer,
J. Contam. Hydrol., 171, 66–80, 2014.
Deutsch, B., Mewes, M., Liskow, I., and Voss, M.: Quantification of diffuse
nitrate inputs into a small river system using stable isotopes of oxygen and
nitrogen in nitrate, Org. Geochem., 37, 1333–1342, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2006.04.012, 2006.
Dogramaci, S., Skrzypek, G., Dodson, W., and Grierson, P. F.: Stable isotope
and hydrochemical evolution of groundwater in the semi-arid Hamersley Basin of
subtropical northwest Australia, J. Hydrol., 475, 281–293, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.10.004, 2012.
Durka, W., Schulze, E.-D., Gebauer, G., and Voerkeliust, S.: Effects of forest
decline on uptake and leaching of deposited nitrate determined from
15N and 18O measurements, Nature, 372, 765–767, 1994.
Ernstsen, V., Olsen, P., and Rosenbom, A. E.: Long-term monitoring of nitrate
transport to drainage from three agricultural clayey till fields, Hydrol. Earth
Syst. Sci., 19, 3475–3488, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-3475-2015, 2015.
Fan, A. M. and Steinberg, V. E.: Health implications of nitrate and nitrite in
drinking water: An update on methemoglobinemia occurrence and reproductive and
developmental toxicity, Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 23, 35–43, https://doi.org/10.1006/rtph.1996.0006, 1996.
Fukada, T., Kisock, K. M., Dennis, P. F., and Grischek, T.: A dual isotope
approach to identify denitrification in groundwater at a river-bank
infiltration site, Water Res., 37, 3070–3078, 2003.
Galloway, J. N., Townsend, A. R., Erisman, J. W., Bekunda, M., Cai, Z., Freney,
J. R., Martinelli, L. A., Seitzinger, S. P., and Sutton, M. A.: Transformation
of the nitrogen cycle: Recent trends, questions, and potential solutions,
Science, 320, 889–892, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136674, 2008.
Granger, J., Sigman, D. M., Lehmann, M. F., and Tortell, P. D.: Nitrogen and
oxygen isotope fractionation during dissimilatory nitrate reduction by
denitrifying bacteria, Limnol. Oceanogr., 53, 2533–2545, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2008.53.6.2533, 2008.
Green, C. T., Böhlke, J. K., Bekins, B. A., and Phillips, S. P.: Mixing
effects on apparent reaction rates and isotope fractionation during
denitrification in a heterogeneous aquifer, Water Resour. Res., 46, W08525,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR008903, 2010.
Gulis, G., Czompolyova, M., and Cerhan, J. R.: An ecologic study of nitrate
in municipal drinking water and cancer incidence in Trnava District, Slovakia,
Environ. Res., 88, 182–187, https://doi.org/10.1006/enrs.2002.4331, 2002.
Hautman, D. P. and Munch, D. J.: Method 300.1 Determination of inorganic anions
in drinking water by ion chromatography, US Environmental Protection Agency,
Cincinnati, OH, 1997.
Hendry, M. J., McCready, R. G., and Gould, W. D.: Distribution and evolution of
nitrate in a glacial till of sourther Alberta, Canada, J. Hydrol., 70, 177–198, 1984.
Hendry, M. J., Barbour, S. L., Novakowski, K., and Wassenaar, L. I.:
Paleohydrogeology of the Cretaceous sediments of the Williston Basin using
stable isotopes of water, Water Resour. Res., 49, 4580–4592, 2013.
Hvorslev, M. J.: Time Lag and Soil Permeability in Ground-Water Observations,
Bull. No. 36, Waterways Exper. Sta. Corps of Engrs, US Army, Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1–50, 1951.
Ji, X., Runtin, X., Hao, Y., and Lu, J.: Quantitative identification of nitrate
pollution sources and uncertainty analysis based on dual isotope approach in
an agricultural watershed, Environ. Poll., 229, 586–594, 2017.
Joerin, C., Beven, K. J., Iorgulescu, I., and Musy, A.: Uncertainty in hydrograph
separations based on geochemical mixing models, J. Hydrol., 255, 90–106, 2002.
Katz, B. G., Chelette, A. R., and Pratt, T. R.: Use of chemical and isotopic
tracers to assess nitrate contamination and ground-water age, Woodville Karst
Plain, USA, J. Hydrol., 289, 36–61, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.11.001, 2004.
Kaushal, S. S., Groffman, P. M., Band, L. E., Elliott, E. M., Shields, C. A.,
and Kendall, C.: Tracking nonpoint source nitrogen pollution in human-impacted
watersheds, Environ. Sci. Technol., 45, 8225–8232, https://doi.org/10.1021/es200779e, 2011.
Kendall, C. and Aravena, R.: Nitrate isotopes in groundwater systems, in:
Environmental Tracers in Subsurface Hydrology, edited by: Cook, P. and Herczeg,
A., Springer US, Boston, MA, 261–297, 2000.
Kimble, J. M., Bartlett, R. J., McIntosh, J. L., and Varney, K. E.: Fate of
nitrate from manure and inorganic nitrogen in a clay soil cropped to continuous
corn, J. Environ. Qual., 1, 413–415, https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1972.00472425000100040017x, 1972.
Kohn, J., Soto, D. X., Iwanyshyn, M., Olson, B., Kalischuk, A., Lorenz, K., and
Hendry, M. J.: Groundwater nitrate and chloride trends in an agriculture-intensive
area in southern Alberta, Canada, Water Qual. Res. J., 51, 47–59, https://doi.org/10.2166/wqrjc.2015.132, 2016.
Komor, S. C. and Anderson, H. W.: Nitrogen isotopes as indicators of nitrate
sources in Minnesota sand-plain aquifers, Ground Water, 31, 260–270, 1993.
Lentz, R. D. and Lehrsch, G. A.: Temporal changes in δ15N− and
δ18O of nitrate nitrogen and H2O in shallow groundwater:
Transit time and nitrate-source implications for an irrigated tract in southern
Idaho, Agric. Water Manage., 212, 126–135, 2019.
Liu, C.-Q., Li, S.-L., Lang, Y.-C., and Xiao, H.-Y.: Using δ15N-
and δ18O-values to identify nitrate sources in karst ground water,
Guiyang, Southwest China, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40, 6928–6933, 2006.
Lorenz, K., Iwanyshyn, M., Olson, B., Kalischuk, A., and Pentland, J. (Eds.):
Livestock Manure Impacts on Groundwater Quality in Alberta Project 2008 to 2015:
2008 to 2011 Progress Report, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development,
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, 316 pp., 2014.
Mariotti, A., Landreau, A., and Simon, B.: 15N isotope biogeochemistry
and natural denitrification process in groundwater: Application to the chalk
aquifer of northern France, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 52, 1869–1878, 1988.
Mayer, B., Bollwerk, S. M., Mansfeldt, T., Hütter, B., and Veizer, J.: The
oxygen isotope composition of nitrate generated by nitrification in acid forest
floors, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 65, 2743–2756, 2001.
McCallum, J. E., Ryan, M. C., Mayer, B., and Rodvang, S. J.: Mixing-induced
groundwater denitrification beneath a manured field in southern Alberta, Canada,
Appl. Geochem., 23, 2146–2155, 2008.
McMahon, P. B., Böhlke, J. K., and Christenson, S. C.: Geochemistry,
radiocarbon ages, and paleorecharge conditions along a transect in the central
High Plains aquifer, southwestern Kansas, USA, Appl. Geochem., 19, 1655–1686, 2004.
Menció, A., Mas-Pla, J., Otero, N., Regàs, O., Boy-Roura, M., Puig, R.,
Bach, J., Domènech, C., Zamorano, M., Brusi, D., and Folch, A.: Nitrate
pollution of groundwater; all right …, but nothing else?, Sci. Total
Environ., 539, 241–251, 2016.
Mengis, M., Schif, S. L., Harris, M., English, M. C., Aravena, R., Elgood, R.
J., and MacLean, A.: Multiple geochemical and isotopic approaches for assessing
ground water NO3− elimination in a riparian zone, Ground Water,
37, 448–457, 1999.
Mengis, M., Walther, U., Bernasconi, S. M., and Wehrli, B.: Limitations of using
δ18O for the source identification of nitrate in agricultural
soils, Environ. Sci. Technol., 35, 1840–1844, 2001.
Otero, N., Torrentó, C., Soler, A., Menció, A., and Mas-Pla, J.:
Monitoring groundwater nitrate attenuation in a regional system coupling
hydrogeology with multi-isotopic methods: The case of Plana de Vic (Osona,
Spain), Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 133, 103–113, 2009.
Pastén-Zapata, E., Ledesma-Ruiz, R., Harter, T., Ramírez, A. I., and
Mahlknecht, J.: Assessment of sources and fate of nitrate in shallow groundwater
of an agricultural area by using a multi-tracer approach, Sci. Total Environ.,
470–471, 855–864, 2014.
Pauwels, H., Foucher, J.-C., and Kloppmann, W.: Denitrification and mixing in
a schist aquifer: Influence on water chemistry and isotopes, Chem. Geol.,
168, 307–324, 2000.
Power, J. F. and Schepers, J. S.: Nitrate contamination of groundwater in North
America, Agr. Ecosyst. Environ., 26, 165–187, 1989.
Rivett, M. O., Buss, S. R., Morgan, P., Smith, J. W., and Bemment, C. D.:
Nitrate attenuation in groundwater: A review of biogeochemical controlling
processes, Water Res., 42, 4215–4232, 2008.
Robertson, W., Russell, B., and Cherry, J.: Attenuation of nitrate in aquitard
sediments of southern Ontario, J. Hydrol., 180, 267–281, 1996.
Rodvang, S. and Simpkins, W.: Agricultural contaminants in Quaternary aquitards:
A review of occurrence and fate in North America, Hydrogeol. J., 9, 44–59, 2001.
Rodvang, S. , Schmidt-Bellach, R., and Wassenaar, L. : Nitrate in groundwater
below irrigated fields, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Alberta, 1998.
Rodvang, S., Mikalson, D., and Ryan, M.: Changes in ground water quality in an
irrigated area of southern Alberta, J. Environ. Qual., 33, 476–487, 2004.
Saffigna, P. G. and Keeney, D. R.: Nitrate and chloride in ground water under
irrigated agriculture in central Wisconsin, Ground Water, 15, 170–177, 1977.
Showers, W. J., Genna, B., McDade, T., Bolich, R., and Fountain, J. C.: Nitrate
contamination in groundwater on an urbanized dairy farm, Environ. Sci. Technol.,
42, 4683–4688, https://doi.org/10.1021/es071551t, 2008.
Sigman, D. M., Casciotti, K. L., Andreani, M., Barford, C., Galanter, M., and
Böhlke, J. K.: A bacterial method for the nitrogen isotopic analysis of
nitrate in seawater and freshwater, Anal. Chem., 73, 4145–4153, https://doi.org/10.1021/ac010088e, 2001.
Singleton, M., Esser, B., Moran, J., Hudson, G., McNab, W., and Harter, T.:
Saturated zone denitrification: Potential for natural attenuation of nitrate
contamination in shallow groundwater under dairy operations, Environ. Sci.
Technol., 41, 759–765, 2007.
Smith, R. L., Garabedian, S. P., and Brooks, M. H.: Comparison of denitrification
activity measurements in groundwater using cores and natural-gradient tracer
tests, Environ. Sci. Technol., 30, 3448–3456, 1996.
Spalding, R. F. and Exner, M. E.: Occurrence of nitrate in groundwater – A
review, J. Environ. Qual., 22, 392–402, 1993.
Spalding, R. F. and Parrott, J. D.: Shallow groundwater denitrification, Sci.
Total Environ., 141, 17–25, 1994.
Tesoriero, A. J., Liebscher, H., and Cox, S. E.: Mechanism and rate of
denitrification in an agricultural watershed: Electron and mass balance along
groundwater flow paths, Water Resour. Res., 36, 1545–1559, 2000.
Turkeltaub, T., Kurtzman, D., and Dahan, O.: Real-time monitoring of nitrate
transport in the deep vadose zone under a crop field – Implications for
groundwater protection, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 3099–3108, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-3099-2016, 2016.
Vavilin, V. A. and Rytov, S. V.: Nitrate denitrification with nitrite or nitrous
oxide as intermediate products: Stoichiometry, kinetics and dynamics of stable
isotope signatures, Chemosphere, 134, 417–426, 2015.
Vitòria, L., Soler, A., Canals, À., and Otero, N.: Environmental
isotopes (N, S, C, O, D) to determine natural attenuation processes in nitrate
contaminated waters: Example of Osona (NE Spain), Appl. Geochem., 23, 3597–3611, 2008.
Vogel, J. C., Talma, A. S., and Heaton, T. H. E.: Gaseous nitrogen as evidence
for denitrification in groundwater, J. Hydrol., 50, 191–200, 1981.
Wassenaar, L. I.: Evaluation of the origin and fate of nitrate in the Abbotsford
Aquifer using the isotopes of 15N and 18O in ,
Appl. Geochem., 10, 391–405, 1995.
Wassenaar, L. I., Hendry, M. J., and Harrington, N.: Decadal geochemical and
isotopic trends for nitrate in a transboundary aquifer and implications for
agricultural beneficial management practices, Environ. Sci. Technol., 40, 4626–4632, 2006.
Weil, R. R., Weismiller, R. A., and Turner, R. S.: Nitrate contamination of
groundwater under irrigated coastal plain soils, J. Environ. Qual., 19,
441–448, https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1990.00472425001900030015x, 1990.
Xu, S., Kang, P., and Sun, Y.: A stable isotope approach and its application
for identifying nitrate source and transformation process in water, Environ.
Sci. Pollut. Res., 23, 1133–1148, 2015.
Xue, D., Botte, J., De Baets, B., Accoe, F., Nestler, A., Taylor, P., Van Cleemput,
O., Berglund, M., and Boeckx, P.: Present limitations and future prospects of
stable isotope methods for nitrate source identification in surface-and
groundwater, Water Res., 43, 1159–1170, 2009.
Yang, C.-Y., Wu, D.-C., and Chang, C.-C.: Nitrate in drinking water and risk
of death from colon cancer in Taiwan, Environ. Int., 33, 649–653, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2007.01.009, 2007.
Zirkle, K. W., Nolan, B. T., Jones, R. R., Weyer, P. J., Ward, M. H., and
Wheeler, D. C.: Assessing the relationship between groundwater nitrate and
animal feeding operations in Iowa (USA), Sci. Total Environ., 566–567, 1062–1068, 2016.
Short summary
Agricultural operations can result in nitrate contamination of groundwater, lakes and streams. At two confined feeding operations in Alberta, Canada, nitrate in groundwater from temporary manure piles and pens exceeded nitrate from earthen manure storages. Identified denitrification reduced agriculturally derived nitrate concentrations in groundwater by at least half. Infiltration to groundwater systems where nitrate can be naturally attenuated is likely preferable to off-farm export via runoff.
Agricultural operations can result in nitrate contamination of groundwater, lakes and streams....