title: Substantial nitrous oxide emissions from intertidal sediments and groundwater in anthropogenically-impacted West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts.
abstract: Large N2O emissions were observed from intertidal sediments in a coastal estuary, West Falmouth Harbor, MA, USA. Average N2O emission rates from 41 chambers during summer 2008 were 10.7 mol N2O m(-2) h(-1)±4.43 μmol N2O m(-2) h(-1) (standard error). Emissions were highest from sediments within a known wastewater plume, where a maximum N2O emission rate was 155 μmol N2O m(-2) h(-1). Intertidal N2O fluxes were positively related to porewater ammonium concentrations at 10 and 25 cm depths. In groundwater from 7 shoreline wells, dissolved N2O ranged from 488% of saturation (56 nM N2O) to more than 13000% of saturation (1529 nM N2O) and was positively related to nitrate concentrations. Fresh and brackish porewater underlying 14 chambers was also supersaturated in N2O, ranging from 2980% to 13175% of saturation. These observations support a relationship between anthropogenic nutrient loading and N2O emissions in West Falmouth Harbor, with both groundwater sources and also local N2O production within nutrient-rich, intertidal sediments in the groundwater seepage face. N2O emissions from intertidal "hotspot" in this harbor, together with estimated surface water emissions, constituted 2.4% of the average overall rate of nitrogen export from the watershed to the estuary. This suggests that N2O emissions factors from coastal ecosystems may be underestimated. Since anthropogenic nutrient loading affects estuaries worldwide, quantification of N2O dynamics is warranted in other anthropogenically-impacted coastal ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, 120 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881, United States; US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States. Electronic address: smoseman@mail.uri.edu.
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moseman-Valtierra
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States.
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Kroeger
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States; USGS at UW School of Oceanography, 1492 NE Boat Street, Box 355351, Seattle, WA 98195, United States.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crusius
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States.
authors.forename: T Wallace
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: US Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA 02543, United States.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pugh
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D063366:Estuaries; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis; D008404:Massachusetts; D009566:Nitrates / Q000032:analysis; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D009566:Nitrates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D009609:Nitrous Oxide
keywords: Denitrification; Estuary; Greenhouse gases; Nitrification; Nitrogen; Wastewater