Skip to main content

The Impact of the Changing Climate on the Supply and Recycling of Nitrate

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Impact of Climate Change on European Lakes

Part of the book series: Aquatic Ecology Series ((AQEC,volume 4))

Abstract

A high proportion of the nitrogen found in lakes and rivers is present in the form of nitrate. The concentration of nitrate in many surface waters has increased over the last forty years (OECD, 1982; Roberts and Marsh, 1987; Johnes and Burt, 1993). The main source of nitrate is diffuse drainage from agricultural land (Vinten and Smith, 1993) but point sources can be important in populated areas (Jarvey et al., 1998). In 1991, the European Union introduced the Nitrates Directive (91.676) to protect waters from pollution by nitrate leached from agricultural land.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arheimer, B., Anderson, L. and Lepistö, A. (1996) Variation of nitrogen concentration in forest streams – influences of flow, seasonality and catchment characteristics, Journal of Hydrology 179, 281–304.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Boutin, R. and Robitaille, G. (1994) Increased soil nitrate losses under mature sugar maple trees affected by experimentally induced deep frost, Canadian Journal of Forest Research 25, 588–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, T.P. and Johnes, P.J. (1997) Managing water quality in agricultural catchments, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 22, 61–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, S.R. (2003) The need for fast-and-frugal models. In: Models in Ecosystem Science, C.D. Canham, J.J. Cole and W.K. Laurenroth (eds.), Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 455–460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casey, H. and Clarke, R.T. (1979) Statistical analysis of nitrate concentrations from the River Frome (Dorset) for the period 1965–1976, Freshwater Biology 9, 91–97.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clein, J.S. and Schimel, J.P. (1995) Microbial activity of tundra and taiga soils at sub-zero temperatures, Soil Biology and Biochemistry 27, 1231–1234.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, E.A. and Swank, W.T. (1987) Factors limiting de-nitrification in soils from mature and disturbed southeastern hardwood forests, Forest Research 33, 135–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterby, S.R. (1997) Review of methods for detection and estimation of trends with emphasis on water quality applications. In: N.E. Peters, O.P. Bricker and M.M. Kennedy (eds.), Water Quality Trends and Geochemical Mass Balance, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 139–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, A.C. and Cresser, M.S. (1992) Freezing and its effect on chemical and biological properties of soil, Advances in Soil Science 18, 59–79.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, C.D. and Monteith, D.T. (2001) Chemical trends at lakes and streams in the UK acid waters monitoring network, 1988–2000: evidence for recent recovery at a national scale, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 5, 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferber, L.R., Levine, S.N., Lini, A. and Livingston, G.P. (2004) Do cyanobacteria dominate in eutrophic lakes because they fix atmospheric nitrogen? Freshwater Biology 49, 690–708.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, D., Cape, J.W. and Unsworth, M.H. (1989) Deposition of atmospheric pollutants on forests, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B 324, 247–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, D.G., Maberly, S.C. and Hewitt, D.P. (2004a) The influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of four lakes in the English Lake District, Freshwater Biology 49, 760–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, D.G., Järvinen, M. and Arvola, L. (2004b) The influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the winter characteristics of Windermere (UK) and Pääjärvi (Finland), Boreal Environmental Research 9, 389–399.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, G., Hurley, M. and Hewitt, D. (2007) The impact of climate change on the larger lakes of the English Lake District, Freshwater Biology 52, 1647–1666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman, P.M. and Tiedje, J.M. (1991) Relationships between de-nitrification, CO2 production and air-filled porosity in soils of different texture and drainage, Soil Biology and Biochemistry 23, 299–302.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Groffman, P.M. and Hanson, G.C. (1997) Wetland denitrification: influence of site quality and relationships with wetland delineation protocols, Soil Science of America Journal 61, 323–329.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heaney, S.I., Smyly, W.J.P. and Talling, J.F. (1986) Interactions of physical, chemical and biological processes in depth and time within a productive English Lake during summer stratification, Internationale Revue der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 71, 441–494.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heathwaite, A.L. and Burt, T.P. (1991) Predicting the effect of land use on stream water quality. IAHS Publication 203, 209–218.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heathwaite, A.L., Burt, T.P. and Trudgill, S.T. (1993) Overview – the Nitrate Issue. In: T.P. Burt, A.L. Heathwaite and S.T. Trudgill (eds.), Nitrate: Processes, Patterns and Management, Wiley, New York, 3–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirch, R.M., Slack, J.R. and Smith, R.A. (1982) Techniques of trend analysis for monthly water quality data, Water Resources Research 18, 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurrell, J.W. (1995) Decadal trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation: regional temperature and precipitation, Science 269, 676–679.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvey, H.P., Whitton, B.A. and Neal, C. (1998) Nitrogen and phosphorus in east coast British rivers: Speciation, sources and biological significance, The Science of the Total Environment 210/211, 79–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkinson, A.F. and Collison, B.P. (1977) An initial climatology of gales over the North Sea. Synoptic Climatology Branch Memorandum, No 62, Meteorological Office, Bracknell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnes, P.J. (1996) Evaluation and management of the impact of land use change on the nitrogen and phosphorus load delivered to surface waters: the export coefficient modelling approach, Journal of Hydrology 183, 323–349.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnes, P.J. and Burt, T.P. (1993) Nitrate in surface waters. In: T.P. Burt, A.L. Heathwaite and S.T. Trudgill (eds.), Nitrate: Processes, Patterns and Management, Wiley, New York, 269–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lain, P., Bigot, J., Ourry, A. and Bouccaud, J. (1994) Effects of low temperature on nitrate uptake and xylem and phloem flows of nitrogen in Secale sereale L. and Brassica napus L, New Phytologist 127, 675–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, H.H. (1950) Types and spells of weather around the year in the British Isles, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 76, 393–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lensi, R., Lescure, C., Clays-Josser, A. and Gourbiere, F. (1991) Spatial distribution of nitrification and soil de-nitrification in an acid forest soil, Forest Ecological Management 44, 29–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lund, J.W.G. and Talling, J.F. (1957) Botanical limnological methods with special reference to the algae, Botanical Review 23, 489–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monteith, D.T., Evans, C.D and Reynolds, B. (2000) Are temporal variations in the nitrate content of UK upland waters linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation? Hydrological Process 14, 1745–1749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monteith, D.T., Evans, C.D. and Patrick, S. (2001) Monitoring acid waters in the UK: 1988–1998 trends, Water, Air and Soil Pollution 130, 1307–1312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naden, P.S. and McDonald, A.T. (1989) Statistical modelling of water colour in the uplands: the Upper Nidd catchment 1979–1987, Environmental Pollution 60, 141–163.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nõges, T., Nõges, P. and Laugaste, R. (2003) Water level as the mediator between climate change and phytoplankton composition in a large, shallow, temperate lake, Hydrobiologia 506, 257–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nõges, P., Kãgu, M. and Nõges, T. (2007) Role of climate and agricultural practice in determining matter discharge into large, shallow Lake Võrtsjärv, Estonia, Hydrobiologia 581, 125–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (1982) Eutrophication of Waters: Monitoring assessment and control, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinay, G., Roques, L. and Fabre, A. (1993) Spatial and temporal patterns of de-nitrification in a riparian forest, Journal of Applied Ecology 30, 581–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rankinen, K., Granlund, K. and Bärlund, I. (2003) Modelling the seasonal effects of soil processes on N leaching in northern latitudes, Nordic Hydrology 35, 347–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, B., Emmett, B.A. and Woods, C. (1992) Variation in streamwater nitrate concentrations and nitrogen budgets over 10 years in a headwater catchment in mid-Wales, Journal of Hydrology 136, 155–175.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J.M. (1990) The atmospheric chemistry of nitrates, Atmospheric Environment 24A, 243.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, G. and Marsh, T. (1987) The effects of agricultural practices on the nitrate concentrations in the surface water domestic supply sources of Western Europe, IAHS publication 164, 365–380.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ryden, J.C. and Rolston, D.E. (1983) The measurement of de-nitrification. In: J.R. Freney and J.R. Simpson (eds.), Gaseous loss of nitrogen from plant-soil systems. The Hague, Junk, 91–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schimel, J.P., Bilbrough, C. and Welker, J.M. (2004) Increased snow depth affects microbial activity and nitrogen mineralization in two Arctic tundra communities, Soil Biology and Biochemistry 36, 217–227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, I.K., Jonasson, S. and Michelsen, A. (1999) Mineralization and immobilization of N and P in arctic soils in relation to season, temperature and nutrient amendment, Applied Soil Ecology 11, 147–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, V.H. (1983) Low nitrogen to phosphorus ratios favour dominance of blue-green algae in lake phytoplankton, Science 221, 669–670.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Straile, D., Livingstone, D.M., Wehenemeyer, G. and George, D.G. (2003) The response of freshwater ecosystems to climate variability associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation. In: J.W. Hurrell, Y. Kushnir, G. Ottersen and M. Visbeck (eds.), The North Atlantic Oscillation: Climatic Significance and Environmental Impact. American Geophysical Union, Washington, 263–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilman, D. Kilham, S.S. and Kilham, P. (1982) Phytoplankton community ecology: the role of limiting nutrients, Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 13, 349–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tipping, E, Carrick, T.R., Hurley, M.A., James, J.B., Lawlor, A.J., Lofts, S., Rigg, E., Simon, B.M., Smith, E.J. and Woof, C. (1998) Reversal of acidification in upland waters of the English Lake District, Environmental Pollution 103, 143–151.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tipping, E., Lawlor, A.J. and Lofts, S. (2006) Simulating the long-term chemistry of an upland UK catchment: major solutes and acidification, Environmental Pollution 141, 151–166.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tipping, E., Thacker, S.A., Wilson, D. and Hall, J.R. (2007) Long-term nitrate increases in two oligotrophic lakes due to nitrogen saturation of moorland ranker soils, Environmental Pollution 152, 41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNEP/WHO (1988) Assessment of Freshwater Quality, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinten, A.J.A. and Smith, K.A. (1993) Nitrogen cycling in agricultural soils. In: Burt, A.L. Heathwaite and S.T. Trudgill (eds.), Nitrate: Processes, Patterns and Management, Wiley, New York, 39–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wayne, R.P. (1993) Nitrogen and nitrogen compounds in the atmosphere. In: T.P. Burt, A.L. Heathwaite and S.T. Trudgill (eds.), Nitrate: Processes, Patterns and Management, Wiley, New York, 23–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wade, A.J., Durand, P., Beaujouan, V., Wesssel, W.W., Raat, K.J., Whitehead, P.G., Butterfield, D., Rankinen, K. and Lepistö, A. (2002) A nitrogen model for European catchments: INCA, new model structure and equations, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 6, 559–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G.A., Meili, M. and Livingstone, D.M. (2004) Nonlinear temperature response of lake ice breakup, Geophysical Research Letters 31(7), L07203, doi:10.1029/2004GL019530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyhenmeyer, G.A., Jeppesen, E., Adrian, R., Arvola, L., Blenckner, T., Jankowski, T., Jennings, E., Jensen, J.P., Nõges, P., Nõges, T. and Straile, D. (2007) Nitrate-depleted conditions on the increase in shallow northern European lakes? Limnology and Oceanography 52, 1346–1353.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Worrall, F. and Burt, T.P. (1998) Decomposition of river water nitrate time-series – comparing agricultural and urban signals, The Science of the Total Environment 210/211, 153–162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowlegements

The CLIME project was supported by contract EVK1-CT-2002-00121 from the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (EESD) Programme of the 5th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The long-term data for the English Lake District is jointly managed by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Freshwater Biological Association. We wish to thank all our colleagues in CLIME for help in acquiring data and for permission to consult unpublished papers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Glen George .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

George, G., Järvinen, M., Nõges, T., Blenckner, T., Moore, K. (2010). The Impact of the Changing Climate on the Supply and Recycling of Nitrate. In: George, G. (eds) The Impact of Climate Change on European Lakes. Aquatic Ecology Series, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2945-4_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics