Atmospheric input of inorganic nitrogen to Delaware Bay

Journal Article · Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Estuaries; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1352433· OSTI ID:7183670

Scudlark, J R; Church, T M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Delaware, Lewes, DE (United States)

The coastal waters of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States receive inputs of atmospheric pollutants as a consequence of being located downwind from major industrial and urban emission. These inputs are potentially the largest received by any marine area of the country. Of current interest is the atmospheric input of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN = NO[sub 3][sup [minus]] + NH[sub 4][sup +]). We have conducted a first-order examination of the magnitude of atmospheric DIN deposition relative to other large-scale inputs for Delaware Bay, a partially urbanized mid-Atlantic coastal plain estuary. The following loading terms: direct atmospheric deposition, indirect atmospheric loading, urban point discharges, fluvial input, benthic flux, and salt marsh export were evaluated. On an annual basis, municipal-industrial effluents provide a dominant source (ca. 40%) of the DIN input to the estuary. Total (wet plus dry) atmospheric deposition accounts for about 15% of the total annual DIN inputs. However, during summer, which is characterized by low river-flow and seasonally maximum atmospheric loading, this figure increases to around 25%. Although atmospheric input can satisfy only a fraction of the primary production demands, this summer flux may represent an ecologically important source of external DIN, half of which is directly deposited to surface photic zones where it is readily available for biological uptake. 63 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 7183670
• Journal Information: Estuaries; (United States), Vol. 16:4; ISSN 0160-8347
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
COASTAL WATERS
CONTAMINATION
DELAWARE
NITROGEN
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
POLLUTANTS
DEPOSITION
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VARIATIONS
WASTES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)