This study aims to develop a low cost, lab-on-a-chip field instrument that is capable of determining the total inorganic arsenic concentration in water samples in a rapid, continuous, reproducible, and accurate manner. The approach also precludes the tedious hydride generation methods used in conventional methodologies. By using a chelating agent and Supported Liquid Membrane Extraction (SLME) on a micro-scale platform, researchers propose to extract and concentrate arsenic from aqueous samples, allowing for faster analysis and lower detection limits.

Contact Information:
Kamilah Hylton
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Telephone: (973) 642-7645
E-mail: ksh4@njit.edu

Professor Somenath Mitra
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Telephone: (973) 596-5611
Email: mitra@njit.edu

Examining Effects of Soil Compaction on Pollutant Removal Efficiency and Lifespan of a NJ Approved Stormwater Best Management Practice

Michael Mak with Dr. Christopher C. Obropta
Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

The bioretention system, an alternative to conventional stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) structures such as stormwater wetlands or riparian forest buffers, is common to suburban settings. It is used for treatment of runoff from impervious surfaces such as residential and commercial roofs and parking lots. The design of a bioretention system must account for soil compaction within the basin.

Compaction in soil influences plant growth in multiple dimensions, primarily based on the degree of compaction. Accidental soil compaction will lead to a reduction of pollutant removal and eventually diminish the lifespan of the basin. For example, after approximately 15 to 20 years, metals may accumulate to levels where ecosystem risks may be heightened. However, the effects of soil compaction on the efficiency and lifespan of bioretention systems remain highly undefined.

This research seeks to determine the ideal degree of soil compaction for pollution removal efficiency of bioretention systems and confirm the effects of soil compaction on the system.

Contact Information:
Michael Mak
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Email: mikemak@eden.rutgers.edu

Dr. Christopher Obropta
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6209; Fax: (732) 932-8644
Email: obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

Resistance of fractured rock dechlorinating bacteria to pressure from heavy metals

Eun-Kyeu Son with Dr. Donna E. Fennell
Department of Enviromental Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Chlorinated ethenes such as tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE), frequently used as degreasers, are the most frequently found groundwater contaminants. Chlorinated ethene contamination is widespread in the northern portion of New Jersey, and remediation of aquifers contaminated with these compounds is a difficult proposition that is further complicated by the presence of heavy metal co-contaminants.

Microbial reductive dechlorination, utilizing bacteria which transform chlorinated ethenes to the benign product ethene, is an attractive remedial process for contaminated aquifers and has been used as an alternative to chemical or physical methods. Only one genus of bacteria, Dehalococcoides, has been identified which is capable of the complete dehalogenation, or breakdown, of these contaminants.

The primary goal of this study is to investigate the effect of heavy metals on the dechlorination potential in groundwater contaminated with both chlorinated ethenes and heavy metals under anaerobic, or oxygen-deficient, conditions utilizing this bacteria for remediation.

Contact Information:
Eun-Kyeu Son
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6806
E-mail: eunkyeu@eden.rutgers.edu

Assistant Professor Donna E. Fennell
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6204; Fax: (732) 932-8644
E-mail: fennell@envsci.rutgers.edu

The Influence of Urbanization on Watershed Nitrogen Cycling Watersheds

Bernice Rosenzweig with Professor Peter Jaffe
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Princeton University

As the amount of land devoted to urban and suburban use increases, understanding the impact of this type of development on ecosystem processes will become increasingly important. This issue is one of particular urgency in the state of New Jersey, where 27% of the total land area was categorized as urban at the end of the 20th century, and approximately 16,600 acres of land are converted to urban development each year. In spite of its importance, the study of nutrient cycling in urban watersheds is still in its infancy.

The proposed research will investigate the coupled hydrologic and nitrogen cycles in an urban watershed and how they are modified by urban land use. Understanding the dynamics of nitrogen is particularly important because, when transported in excess to coastal ecosystems, this nutrient can lead to harmful coastal eutrophication (oxygen depletion due to nutrient enrichment).

This research focuses on the role of stormwater detention ponds in nitrogen cycling in urban watersheds. It is motivated by the idea that watershed-scale nitrogen retention and export is dominated by spatial “hot spots” and temporal “hot moments” of activity that are created by variations in water flux. The work will test the following hypotheses:

Urban land use leads to modifications in the mechanisms of runoff production
Urban stream channels are incised and widened in response to increasing flood peaks
As a result, urban stream channels have reduced capacity for nitrogen retention and can no longer function as watershed-scale hotspots of nitrogen removal and retention
Stormwater detention ponds function as hot spots of nitrogen retention in urban watersheds

Contact Information:
Bernice Rosenzweig
Princeton University
Telephone: (609) 258-5646
Email: brosenzw@princeton.edu

Professor Peter Jaffe
Princeton University
Telephone: (609) 258-4653
Email: jaffe@princeton.edu

Microbial degradation of MTBE in anaerobic environments

Laura K.G. Youngster¹ with Professor Max M. Häggblom²
¹Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
²Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a synthetic chemical which is added to gasoline as an oxygenate to reduce carbon monoxide emissions and formation of ozone. Since the passage of the Clean Air Act, which mandates the use of fuel oxygenates, MTBE has been used extensively, with the largest per volume production of any organic chemical. Consequently, MTBE has been detected in groundwater as well as surface water across the United States. Common sources of MTBE contamination in water resources include fuel spills, leaking underground storage tanks and pipelines, storm runoff, precipitation, and motorized watercrafts.

New Jersey has been aware of the presence of MTBE in groundwater since the mid-1980s when it was detected during a drinking water survey. MTBE has proven to be persistant in the environment, and is now routinely detected in private wells sampled in New Jersey, especially wells near gasoline stations and other uses of gasoline. MTBE is also frequently detected in New Jersey surface water. Studies of the potential health hazards have been inconclusive, but the U.S. EPA currently lists MTBE as a possible human carcinogen. The concentration allowed in drinking water is also held to a low level due to the chemical’s easily detectable unpleasant taste and odor.

When MTBE is spilled, it is likely to dissolve in water and migrate quickly throughout the water system without hindrance by volatilization or adherence to soil. It is unfortunately also less prone to biodegradation. MTBE was initially thought to be entirely unsusceptible to microbial attack and now is known to be degraded by only a few cultures of microorganisms, most of them aerobic.

In the Haggblom laboratory, anaerobic MTBE-degrading microcosms have been established using inocula from various sites including sediments from areas in New Jersey. These are the first, and very likely only, stable MTBE-utilizing anaerobic enrichment cultures available for more detailed microbial analysis.

This research proposes to characterize the microbial community structure of these enriched bacterial cultures in order to understand their role in MTBE degradation. The information uncovered by the project can be used to create guidelines for proper management of MTBE-contaminated environments and highly contaminated anaerobic waterways as well as subsurface aquifers.

Contact Information:
Laura K.G. Youngster
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9763 X222
Email: lyoungster@optonline.net

Professor Max M. Häggblom
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9763 X326
Email: haggblom@aesop.rutgers.edu

Fiscal Year 2004

Soil Moisture Regimes and Nitrate Leaching in Urban Wetlands

Emilie K. Stander with Prof. Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources

Nitrogen is one of the most widespread and pervasive pollutants present in surface waters throughout the United States. Excess nitrogen can cause eutrophication and zones of hypoxia in receiving water bodies and drinking water pollution in surface waters. It is a widely held belief that wetlands systems serve as sinks of nitrate from upland land use owing to their ability to remove nitrate through the process of denitrification. As a result, wetlands are increasingly being used as a management tool to combat the problem of excess nitrogen in urban watersheds. However, due to hydrological alteration resulting from urban land use, urban wetlands in northeastern New Jersey may experience lowered water tables, overall dryer conditions, and wet-dry cycles that may reduce nitrate removal capacity. In wetlands with lowered water tables, the biologically active zone of the soil where roots and microbial populations are located no longer experiences frequent saturation. As a result denitrification is inhibited. Conversely, aerobic conditions in wetland soils are well known to be conducive to high rates of nitrification. This results in the accumulation of high concentrations of nitrate and the potential for its movement through leaching to surface waters. Thus, the frequent occurrence of unsaturated conditions in urban wetlands may actually cause wetlands to become a source of nitrate to surface waters, rather than a sink.

Another issue which emphasizes the need to study nitrate removal in urban wetlands is the significant input of nitrogen into the system through atmospheric deposition. The density of urban development and amount of vehicular traffic in close proximity to many urban wetlands suggests that nitrogen deposition rates are significantly elevated, perhaps above regional averages, as documented along an urban-rural gradient from New York City to outlying suburbs. Several studies have explicitly linked atmospheric nitrogen deposition with eutrophication of coastal waters in the Northeast United States.

The throughfall collector is very visible even from far away.

Since vanadalism is always a concern for ecologists working in urban areas, this collector will have to be camouflaged by painting or spraypainting it brown and green.

The aim of this study is to document nitrogen inputs and outputs in forested swamps along a gradient of urban to suburban conditions. To do this the researcher will collect "throughfall" (i.e., rain which has filtered through the tree canopy) and soil leachate (i.e., soil water which has leached down below the rooting zone towards the shallow groundwater) at eight forested wetlands along an urban to suburban gradient in northeastern New Jersey. The researcher will collect monthly for the course of one year, and will also sample weekly for one month of each season to capture temporal variability on a finer scale. Samples will be analyzed for nitrate and ammonium concentrations in the laboratory.

This study will allow researchers to determine whether nitrogen outputs are correlated with nitrogen inputs (i.e., do sites with higher nitrogen inputs have higher nitrogen outputs). This study will also demonstrate whether inputs are higher in areas with a higher intensification of urban land use. Also, using data collected from previous work partially funded by NJWRRI, the researcher will be able to determine whether outputs are higher in sites with altered hydrology and in sites with higher rates of nitrogen cycling processes such as nitrogen mineralization and nitrification.

Contact Information:
Emilie K. Stander
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Email: estander@eden.rutgers.edu

Professor Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-1081; Fax: (732) 932-8746
E-mail: ehrenfel@rci.rutgers.edu

Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzofurans by Dehalorespiring Bacterial Cultures

Fang Liu with Dr. Donna E. Fennell
Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

A mixed culture containing D. ethenogenes strain 195 was shown to dechlorinate 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioixn (1,2,3,4-TeCDD) both with and without the addition of tetrachloroethene (PCE) as a co-substrate. 1,2,3,4-TeCDD was dechlorinated to 1,2,4-trichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,2,4-TrCDD) and 1,3-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,3-DCDD). Rates of daughter product formation were initially slower in PCE-amended cultures relative to cultures with no added PCE. At the end of the incubation, the extent of 1,2,3,4-TeCDD dechlorination was very similar in both treatments. It seems that PCE addition did not affect the dechlorination of 1,2,3,4-TeCDD. We further transferred the pre-grown culture at 10% v/v ratio spiked with 1,2,3,4-TeCDD alone or together with PCE addition. The results also showed that 1,2,3,4-TeCDD was dechlorinated in both treatments at a similar rate. The 1,2,3,4-TeCDD dechlorination and 1,3-DCDD formation did not show significant differences in both treatments. Although the first transfer results agree with that of the pre-grown culture, we have not yet confirmed that 1,2,3,4-TeCDD is a growth substrate by strain 195.

The dechlorination of 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF was observed after one month of incubation. A penta-CDF was detected in all three active sets: the set spiked with 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF as the only halogenated substrate, the PCE-amended set and the 1,2,3,4-TeCB-amended set. The most extensive dechlorination occurred in the 1,2,3,4-TeCB-amended set where the penta-CDF was further dechlorinated to two tetra-CDF congeners. We examined the dechlorination products and found that no 2,3,7,8-substituted penta- or tetra-CDF congeners were formed. This indicates that this dechlorination process detoxifies 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF and forms non-2,3,7,8-substituted congeners. These results suggest that there is potential for using the mixed culture to bioaugment contaminated sites.

Contact Information:
Fang Liu
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
E-mail: fangliu@eden.rutgers.edu

Assistant Professor Donna E. Fennell
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Phone:(732) 932-9800 X6204; Fax: (732) 932-8644
E-mail: fennell@envsci.rutgers.edu

Use of stable isotope ratios of mercury to track and differentiate between sources of mercury pollution

Kritee¹ with Prof. Tamar Barkay²
¹Dept. of Molecular and Microbial Genetics
²Dept. Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

The extreme toxicity of mercury (Hg) compounds warrants the search for new methods that can be used to track sources of Hg and dominant pathways leading to formation and bioaccumulation of methylmercury. Since Hg has seven stable isotopes (0.15 – 30% abundance; mass spread of 4%) and its compounds have a high degree of covalent character, it may undergo stable isotopic fractionation, and if so, the isotopic signatures of Hg may attest to its origin and/or redox history.

Figure 1. The biogeochemical cycle of Hg. Solid arrows indicate uptake or transformation of Hg and hollow arrows indicate transport pathways. The width of hollow arrows reflects the relative importance of different fluxes. Scheafer et al., 2002.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of mercury isotopic fractionation during the reduction of Hg(II) to Hg⁰ by mercuric reductase, an enzyme found in a broad range of Hg resistant bacteria from diverse environments. We measured the isotopic composition of Hg⁰ formed by pure cultures of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus, as a function of the extent of Hg substrate utilized using MC-ICPMS. We found that Hg(II) supplied as NIST 3133 undergoes Rayleigh fractionation with a fractionation factor (alpha) of ~1.0006 per amu during its reduction by E. coli (see graph below) and B. cereus at 37^oC. Alpha values of similar magnitude were observed when Hg⁰ was produced by a natural microbial community following enrichment of Hg(II) reducing microbes.

This is the first evidence of biologically induced mass dependent fractionation of Hg, the heaviest metal for which biological fractionation has been detected to date. This report opens up the possibility of use of Hg isotope fractionation for identifying its sources and sinks in the environment, in situ pathways leading to its toxicity, and the nature and evolution of redox reactions in both modern and paleo environments.

Contact Information:
Kritee
Dept. of Molecular and Microbial Genetics
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9763 X334
E-mail: kritee@eden.rutgers.edu

Professor Tamar Barkay
Dept. Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9763 X333
E-mail: barkay@aesop.rutgers.edu

Efficiency of Bioretention Systems to Reduce Fecal Coliform Counts in Stormwater

Gregory Rusciano¹ with Dr. Christopher C. Obropta²
¹Department of Bioresource Engineering
²Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Currently, 7,742 water bodies in the nation are impaired for pathogenic bacteria, viruses and/or parasites (14.4% of all reported water bodies), more than for any other impairment (USEPA, 2003). Impairments result in large part from nonpoint sources of pollution carried by urban and agricultural stormwater runoff. Fecal coliform (FC) counts are commonly used as an indicator of pathogens and are used by governmental agencies to help manage drinking water quality and recreational activities such as swimming, boating and fishing. The study seeks to evaluate the ability of bioretention systems to effectively reduce fecal coliform colony counts. Bioretention systems were modeled in the laboratory with columns with representative depths of gravel, sand and soil. Panicum virgatum, typically used in bioretention systems, was integrated into the columns.

Photo of a bioretention bolumn

Typical rainfall conditions for New Jersey were mimicked in the laboratory with regard to rainfall intensity and frequency and stormwater composition (bacterial colony counts). The drainage area received by a typical bioretention system was estimated to determine the appropriate flow rate of water input into the system. The maximum percolation rate was observed to be approximately 37 mL/minute. Ponding occurred in the top of the column during every simulated storm event, although its maximum height never surpassed 12 inches. Total suspended solid (TSS) removal was generally high with an average ratio of 92.3% and range of 82.5-99.4%. FC count reductions were generally high, with an average ratio of 87.8% and a range of 54.7-99.7%. The turbidity was observed to be significantly lower in leachate samples. On average, the pH and temperature of the influent was 7.14 and 25.4^oC, respectively. The pH and temperature of the leachate was 4.71 and 22.9^oC, respectively. In addition to filtration and adsorption mechanisms, other mechanisms are responsible for acting directly on the bacteria regardless of their association with particulates. The primary mechanism is the pH. It is also likely that predation of FC bacteria by other microorganisms was a factor. Since bioretention is increasingly being implemented as a primary watershed management tool across the United States, this research will provide data to help optimize its effectiveness in the field and improve regulatory guidance for the future.

Contact Information:
Gregory Rusciano
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6130
Email: greg.rusciano@rutgers.edu

Assistant Professor Christopher C. Obropta
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6209
Email: obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu

Fiscal Year 2003

Validation of the PMF (Preprocessor to MODFLOW for Fractured Media) Package

Yuri Mun with Dr. Christopher G. Uchrin
Department of Environmental Sciences
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Ground water is the largest accessible freshwater source in the world. In New Jersey, 50 percent of the population depends on ground water as their water source (Zapecza, 1990). Since public health concerns arise from drinking water being contaminated, the importance of predicting ground water movement and quality has increased. The best tool available for this prediction has been a ground water model (Anderson and Woessner, 1992). If the specific information about fractured media is not known, an 'equivalent porous media (EPM) approach’ has been considered an acceptable method for flow modeling of fractured media (National Research Council, 1996).

In this research, a PMF package has been constructed as a Preprocessor to MODFLOW for Fractured media by employing percolation theory, so that it can assist the EPM approach for simulation of groundwater flow and transport in fractured media. This PMF package providea a better model for ground water flow in fractured media and for other fractured media ground water flow system.

Contact Information:

Professor Christopher G. Uchrin
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9800 X6220
E-mail: uchrin@envsci.rutgers.edu

Microbial respiration of arsenic and selenium

Priya Narasingarao with Professor Max Häggblom
Dept of Biochemistry and Microbiology
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Arsenic and selenium, though naturally present in the earth’s crust, become very toxic when their oxyions gain entry into water systems. Oxidation-reduction reactions play a major role in increasing the mobility of these elements whereby they enter water systems. Both these elements have gained importance in recent years in terms of their toxicity because of human impact on the lithosphere, which has resulted in large-scale release of toxic forms of arsenic and selenium.

The primary goal of this study was to elucidate the role of microorganisms involved in redox transformations of arsenic and selenium in soils and sediments. In the absence of oxygen, microorganisms use a wide range of terminal electron acceptors from nitrate through iron, sulphate and carbonate for their respiration.

Selenate reducing enrichments showing a red precipitate indicating the formation of elemental selenium, autoclaved controls shows no selenate transformation

Based on evidence of naturally-occurring microorganisms capable of utilizing arsenate or selenate for respiration, this research examined arsenic-rich soils in New Jersey to determine how diverse the microorganisms are that have the capability to carry out dissimilatory arsenate or selenate reduction, and if the reduction of arsenate and selenate was coupled to respiration in these organisms.

The project determined that bacterial strain AK4OH1, an anaerobic selenate-reducing bacterium previously isolated from Arthur Kill (an intertidal strait between NY-NJ), can be classified as a new genus and species based on phylogenetic sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene.

Strain AK4OH1 is capable of selenate reduction to selenite coupled to respiration and growth utilizing 4-hydroxybenzoate as a sole carbon and energy source. Initial enrichment with the sediments from various regions in New Jersey showed that selenate could be readily transformed to selenite and even to elemental selenium. Future studies will focus on demonstrating activity in sequential transfers and isolation of pure cultures.

Contact Information:
Priya Narasingarao
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
E-mail: npriya@eden.rutgers.edu

Professor Max M. Häggblom
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-9763 X326
Email: haggblom@aesop.rutgers.edu

Development of Supported Liquid Membrane Micro-Extraction (SLMME) followed by Ion-Pair Chromatography (IPC) for analysis of halo-acetic acids (HAAs) and chlorinated acid herbicides (CAHs) in water

Xiaoyan Wang with Professor Somenath Mitra
Dept. of Chemistry & Environmental Science
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) such as haloacetic acids (HAAs) form when disinfectants used to treat drinking water react with naturally occurring materials in water such as decomposing plant material, other organic matter or pesticides. The U.S. EPA has expressed concern about a possible reproductive and developmental effects due to DPBs, and that long-term exposure to DBPs also may potentially be carcinogenic. U.S. EPA thus has set maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) which water systems must meet.

This research sought to develop an analytical method for the continuous on-line monitoring of haloacetic acids, which is the major group of nonvolatile DBPs in drinking water.

Continuous supported liquid membrane extraction (SLME) followed by high performance liquid chromatography is designed for the on-line monitoring. This technique is automated, fast, and eco-friendly, i.e., it uses a minimum amount of organic solvent and other chemicals. This technique provides high enrichment factors for real-time monitoring, and the liquid membrane is inexpensive and is easy to be regenerated.

Contact Information:
Professor Somenath Mitra
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Telephone: (973) 596-5611
Email: mitra@njit.edu

Seed Dispersal Dynamics in a Restored Salt Marsh:
Implications for Restoration Success

Polly Hicks with Professor Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Polly Hicks is studying the regeneration of plant communities in a restored salt marsh of the Hackensack Meadowlands.

The goal of this study was to critically investigate seed dispersal dynamics in a restored urban tidal marsh with the aim of furthering understanding of the influence of seed dispersal on restoration success.

This project sought to determine whether new species are occurring within the restored marsh, whether tidal inundation and/or position along the main channel are influencing dispersal patterns, and how dispersal patterns relate to vegetation community development.

Results indicated that reliance on natural colonization to effectively restore saline and brackish tidal marsh systems must be examined carefully. In a highly urban and degraded system such as the Meadowlands, dispersal may be a limiting factor for the dominant components of the target community. Until these dispersal dynamics are better understood, practitioners working in tidal marshes with reduced populations of desired species and distant seed sources should strongly consider planting a variety of species rather than one dominant species.

The seed traps were grown out to identify the species composition of seeds coming into the restored marshes.

Contact Information:
Professor Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-1081
Fax: (732) 932-8746
E-mail: ehrenfel@rci.rutgers.edu

Potential Nitrogen Saturation in Urban Wetlands

Emilie Stander with Professor Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Due to hydrological alteration resulting from urban land use, urban wetlands in northeastern New Jersey may experience lowered water tables and thus overall drier conditions and wet-dry cycles that may reduce nitrate (NO₃^-) removal capacity. This may cause New Jersey’s urban wetlands to be acting as sources rather than sinks of NO₃^- , leading to elevated NO₃^- concentrations in receiving water bodies and associated impacts on the integrity of aquatic ecosystems in this state. This research investigated the occurrence of N saturation symptoms in urban wetlands located in northeastern New Jersey and therefore directly addressed research priorities relating to the integrity of aquatic and water-associated systems, and the impacts of land-use practice and change on water resources.

The project seeks to document net N mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification under wet and dry conditions in urban wetlands of contrasting soil types over the course of a one year field-based study. It will also determine whether urban wetlands with organic and mineral soils are displaying symptoms of N saturation. For the purposes of this study, symptoms of N saturation are considered to be high rates of nitrogen mineralization and nitrification coupled with low rates of denitrification. When it is concluded, this research may also serve to direct restoration and management guidelines in the state.

Contact Information:
Emilie K. Stander
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Email: estander@eden.rutgers.edu

Professor Joan G. Ehrenfeld
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Telephone: (732) 932-1081; Fax: (732) 932-8746
E-mail: ehrenfel@rci.rutgers.edu

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