Regional nitrogen budgets and riverine N &amp; P fluxes for the drainages to the North Atlantic Ocean: Natural and human influences

R W Howarth,T Jordan,G Billen,P Murdoch,F Berendse,K Lajtha,R Elmgren,N Caraco,J A Downing,Zhu Zhao-Liang,N Jaworski,V Kudeyarov,A Townsend,J Freney,D Swaney

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-1776-7_3

Regional nitrogen budgets and riverine N & P fluxes for the drainages to the North Atlantic Ocean: Natural and human influences

R W Howarth, T Jordan + Show 13 more

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1776-7_3

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Publication Date: Jan 1, 1996

Citations: 470

Affiliation: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Université Libre de Bruxelles, United States Geological Survey, Oregon State University, Stockholm University, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Institute of Soil Science, Environmental Protection Agency, Cornell University, Plant Industry, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

#Total Nitrogen Flux #Nitrogen Fluxes + Show 8 more

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Abstract

We present estimates of total nitrogen and total phosphorus fluxes in rivers to the North Atlantic Ocean from 14 regions in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa which collectively comprise the drainage basins to the North Atlantic. The Amazon basin dominates the overall phosphorus flux and has the highest phosphorus flux per area. The total nitrogen flux from the Amazon is also large, contributing 3.3 Tg yr-1 out of a total for the entire North Atlantic region of 13.1 Tg yr-1. On a per area basis, however, the largest nitrogen fluxes are found in the highly disturbed watersheds around the North Sea, in northwestern Europe, and in the northeastern U.S., all of which have riverine nitrogen fluxes greater than 1,000 kg N km-2 yr-1.

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