Application of Isotope Techniques for Assessing Nutrient Dynamics in River Basins
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
River Basins Application of Application Isotope Techniques for Techniques Isotope Assessing Nutrient Dynamics in IAEA-TECDOC-1695 Spine 248 pages - 12,85 mm IAEA-TECDOC-1695 n APPLicatioN OF ISotoPE TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN RIVER BASINS VIENNA ISSN 1011–4289 ISBN 978–92–0–138810–0 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC AGENCY ENERGY ATOMIC INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION OF ISOTOPE TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN RIVER BASINS The following States are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency: AFGHANISTAN GUATEMALA PANAMA ALBANIA HAITI PAPUA NEW GUINEA ALGERIA HOLY SEE PARAGUAY ANGOLA HONDURAS PERU ARGENTINA HUNGARY PHILIPPINES ARMENIA ICELAND POLAND AUSTRALIA INDIA PORTUGAL AUSTRIA INDONESIA AZERBAIJAN IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF QATAR BAHRAIN IRAQ REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA BANGLADESH IRELAND ROMANIA BELARUS ISRAEL RUSSIAN FEDERATION BELGIUM ITALY Rwanda BELIZE JAMAICA SAUDI ARABIA BENIN JAPAN SENEGAL BOLIVIA JORDAN SERBIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA KAZAKHSTAN SEYCHELLES BOTSWANA KENYA SIERRA LEONE BRAZIL KOREA, REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA KUWAIT SINGAPORE BURKINA FASO KYRGYZSTAN SLOVAKIA BURUNDI LAO PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC SLOVENIA CAMBODIA REPUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA CAMEROON LATVIA SPAIN CANADA LEBANON SRI LANKA CENTRAL AFRICAN LESOTHO SUDAN REPUBLIC LIBERIA SWAZILAND CHAD LIBYA SWEDEN CHILE LIECHTENSTEIN SWITZERLAND CHINA LITHUANIA COLOMBIA LUXEMBOURG SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC CONGO MADAGASCAR TAJIKISTAN COSTA RICA MALAWI THAILAND CÔTE D’IVOIRE MALAYSIA THE FORMER YUGOSLAV CROATIA MALI REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA CUBA MALTA TOGO CYPRUS MARSHALL ISLANDS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CZECH REPUBLIC MAURITANIA TUNISIA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC MAURITIUS TURKEY OF THE CONGO MEXICO UGANDA DENMARK MONACO DOMINICA MONGOLIA UKRAINE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MONTENEGRO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ECUADOR MOROCCO UNITED KINGDOM OF EGYPT MOZAMBIQUE GREAT BRITAIN AND EL SALVADOR MYANMAR NORTHERN IRELAND ERITREA NAMIBIA UNITED REPUBLIC ESTONIA NEPAL OF TANZANIA ETHIOPIA NETHERLANDS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NEW ZEALAND FIJI URUGUAY FINLAND NICARAGUA UZBEKISTAN FRANCE NIGER GABON NIGERIA VENEZUELA GEORGIA NORWAY VIETNAM GERMANY OMAN YEMEN GHANA PAKISTAN ZAMBIA GREECE PALAU ZIMBABWE The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. IAEA-TECDOC-1695 APPLICATION OF ISOTOPE TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN RIVER BASINS INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2013 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 2600 29302 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] http://www.iaea.org/books For further information on this publication, please contact: Isotope Hydrology Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria Email: [email protected] © IAEA, 2013 Printed by the IAEA in Austria May 2013 IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Application of isotope techniques for assessing nutrient dynamics in river basins. – Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2013. p. ; 30 cm. – (IAEA-TECDOC series, ISSN 1011-4289; no. 1695) ISBN 978-92-0-138810-0 Includes bibliographical references. 1. Radioisotopes in hydrology – Technique. 2. Water resources development – Management. 3. Stable isotopes. I. International Atomic Energy Agency. II. Series. IAEAL 13-00794 44 FOREWORD Nutrients are necessary for the growth and survival of animals, plants and other organisms. However, industrial, agricultural and urban development has dramatically increased nutrient levels in river systems — including nitrogen and phosphorus containing substances — degrading water quality, causing acidification and eutrophication, and affecting aquatic ecosystems. Nutrient assessment and management in river systems has been an important part of water resource management for the past few decades, but the provision of appropriate and effective nutrient assessment and management continues to be a challenge for water resource managers and policy makers. Difficulties in assessment and management are due in part to the fact that nutrients in rivers may originate from a variety of sources, take numerous pathways and transform into other substances. This publication presents the application of isotope techniques as a powerful tool for evaluating the sources, pathways, transformation and fate of nutrients in river systems, focusing on nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon containing substances. Eleven researchers using various isotope techniques for different aspects of nutrient studies and two IAEA officers met in a technical meeting and discussed a publication that could assist water resource managers in dealing with nutrient assessment and management issues in river systems. These researchers also recognized the need for careful consideration in selecting appropriate isotope techniques in view of not only technical, but also financial, human resources and logistical capabilities, among others. This publication aims at serving water resource managers as a guidebook on the application of isotope techniques in nutrient assessment and management, but it is also expected to be a practical aid for other interested and concerned individuals and organizations. The IAEA officers in charge of the technical meeting were M. Ito and B.D. Newman of the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was M. Ito of the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences. EDITORIAL NOTE The papers in these proceedings are reproduced as submitted by the authors and have not undergone rigorous editorial review by the IAEA. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the IAEA, the governments of the nominating Member States or the nominating organizations. The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights. CONTENTS FOREWORD SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................1 The application of isotope techniques in nutrient assessment and management in riverine systems — present and future ........................................................7 M. Ito , W.L. Hadwen, K. Rogers, B. Mayer, T. Hein, L. Stellato, N. Ohte, B.D. Newman, K. McLaughlin Isotopic assessment of nitrogen cycling in river basins: Potential and limitations for nutrient management purposes ....................................................................15 B. Mayer, M. Sebilo, L.I. Wassenaar The benefit of using isotopes in NO! water quality management ............................................35 D. Widory Simultaneous measurement of nitrogen and oxygen isotopes of nitrate to evaluate nitrate sources and processes in catchments .........................................................49 Nobuhito Ohte, Toshi Nagata, Ichiro Tayasu, Ayato Kyozu, Chikage Yoshimizu, Ken’ichi Osaka Using whole stream δ15N additions to understand the effects of land use change on stream function ..................................................................................................69 L.A. Deegan , C. Neill , R.L. Victoria , A.V. Krusche , M.V.R. Ballester, S. Thomas, C. Haupert The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate: A tracer for phosphate sources and cycling .............................................................................................................93 K. McLaughlin , M.B. Young , A. Paytan, C. Kendall Investigating pathways of nutrient and energy flows through aquatic food webs using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen ...........................................................111 W.L. Hadwen, S.E. Bunn Using stable isotopes to detect land use change and nitrogen sources in aquatic systems ................................................................................................129 K.M. Rogers Stable isotope signatures of carbon and nitrogen to characterize exchange processes and their use for restoration projects along