
Our research focuses on:
Groundwater nitrate cycling in riparian zones
Groundwater nitrate cycling in salt marshes
Enhanced infiltration systems to enhance nitrate removal
Advancing watershed nitrogen management at the local level
Why do we study nitrate processing?
Nitrate leaching to
groundwater is greatly increased by human inputs, such as fertilizer
use
and leaking septic systems.
There is evidence of high nitrate concentrations
in groundwater all over the North East US.
Excessive nitrogen (N) can cause unsightly algae
blooms in coastal ponds and estuaries which consume available
oxygen
and
cause other
organisms to die.
Great uncertainty surrounds N cycling within coastal watersheds.
Not all N entering the watershed can be traced, leaving unidentified
N sinks. The fate of the remainder N is a major challenge to
coastal managers.
