Export of dissolved nitrogen in catchments underlain by permafrost in northeast China

Abstract

Eurasian permafrost serves as an important nitrogen source for linked aquatic and oceanic ecosystems. To fill in the data gaps in the southern margin of the Eurasian permafrost, nitrogen dynamics in the two rivers that drain the permafrost in the Great Xing'an Mountains of northeast China were investigated during the 2012–2015 growing seasons. The mean concentration of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) in the two catchments was 0.63 mg L−1, which is generally higher than other permafrost catchments around the Arctic Ocean. The dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) constituted the majority of TDN, and the mean DON:TDN ratio was as high as 0.84. The seasonal flood patterns broadly influenced the concentrations and annual loads of DON, as well as the dissolved organic carbon (DOC):DON ratios in the two rivers. River discharge was positively related to DON concentration during growing seasons, while the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), namely ammonium and nitrate, demonstrated no relationship with discharge. The estimated annual TDN yield, 190 kg km−2 yr−1 on average, was much higher than in the large Arctic rivers that drain permafrost. This yield accounts for 42.7% of the total atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the study area, which indicates a great potential for dissolved nitrogen export from the permafrost area in the Great Xing'an Mountains.