Spatial variation in nitrogen deposition over five adjacent catchments in a larch forest

Abstract

In this report, we propose a new method of evaluating the effect of nitrogen deposition on forest ecosystems, namely the spatial variation in nitrogen deposition enables to detect readily the effect of anthropogenic N deposition on biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems. We analyzed the nitrogen deposition (throughfall fluxes) and stream water chemistry over five adjacent small catchments in which soil types (Hapludants) and vegetation composition (50 to 60 years old larch plantation) were fairly identical. Thirty-two throughfall collectors were set up in the five catchments (six to eight collectors in each catchment) and throughfall samples were collected after a rain event, while stream water samples were collected once or twice a month. The monitoring was carried out during a period of 6 months (2002 June to 2002 November). Throughfall dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) fluxes were highly variable: the highest N input, 1.32 kg N ha−1 6 months−1, was sixty-six times higher than the lowest input, 0.02 kg N ha−1 6 months−1. The mean DIN inputs and the mean nitrate concentrations in streams showed a three-time variation across the five catchments. In addition, the DIN inputs showed a high correlation with the stream nitrate concentrations (r = 0.88).