Effects of Land Use and Land Cover, Stream Discharge, and Interannual Climate on the Magnitude and Timing of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Organic Carbon Concentrations in Three Coastal Plain Watersheds

Abstract

In-stream nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, and suspended sediment concentrations were measured in 18 subbasins over 2 annual cycles to assess how land use and land cover (LULC) and stream discharge regulate water quality variables. The LULC was a primary driver of in-stream constituent concentrations and nutrient speciation owing to differences in dominant sources and input pathways associated with agricultural, urban, and forested land uses. Stream discharge was shown to be a major factor that dictated not only the magnitude of constituent concentrations, but also the chemical form. In high discharge agricultural subbasins, where nitrate was the dominant nitrogen form, there was a negative correlation between discharge and nitrate concentration indicating groundwater inputs as the dominant pathway. In urban settings, however, nitrate was positively correlated with discharge, and, in forested subwatersheds, where dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was the dominant nitrogen form, there was a positive correlation between discharge and DON, indicating washoff from the watershed as the dominant input pathway. Similarly, phosphorus concentrations were strongly regulated by LULC, discharge, and seasonality. This comparative study highlights that different mechanisms regulate different forms of nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon, and thus field programs or water quality models used for regulatory purposes must assess these nutrient forms to accurately apply management plans for nutrient reductions.