Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net 1812-2108 1812-2116 6 4 2009 10.5194/hessd-6-5341-2009 http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/6/5341/2009/ http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/6/5341/2009/hessd-6-5341-2009.html http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/6/5341/2009/hessd-6-5341-2009.pdf 5341 5375 2009-08-06 Nitrogen retention in natural Mediterranean wetlands affected by agricultural runoff V. García García viquigar@um.es R. Gómez M. R. Vidal-Abarca M. L. Suárez Department of Ecology and Hydrology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain Nitrogen retention efficiency in natural Mediterranean wetlands affected by agricultural runoff was quantified and the effect of season and hydrological/chemical loading was examined from March 2007 to June 2008 in two wetland-streams located in Southeast Spain. Nitrate-N (NO3−-N), ammonium-N (NH4+-N), total organic nitrogen-N (TON-N) and chloride (Cl−) concentrations were analyzed to calculate nitrogen retention efficiencies. These wetlands consistently reduced water nitrogen concentration throughout the year with higher values for NO3−-N (72.3%), even though the mean values of inflow NO3−-N concentrations were above 20 mg l−1. Additionally, they usually acted as sinks for TON-N (45.4%), but as sources for NH4+-N. Over the entire study period, the Taray and Parra wetlands were capable of removing a mean value of 1.6 and 0.8 kg NO3−-N a day−1, respectively. Retention efficiencies were not affected by temperature variation and did not follow a seasonal pattern. The temporal variability for NO3−-N retention efficiency was positively and negatively explained by the net hydrologic retention and the inflow NO3−-N concentration (R2adj=0.832, p<0.001), respectively. 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