Abstract
Humans have more than doubled the amount of reactive nitrogen (N) in the environment, contributing to marine eutrophication. Salt marshes provide important areas of N removal through microbial mediated N-cyling. However, oil spills may alter or reduce their functional capacity by reducing plant biomass or altering sediment microbial communities. The objective of our study is to determine the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on nitrogen (N) cycling in salt marsh sediments. A study was conducted in the Chandeleur Islands, a chain of barrier islands off the coast of Louisiana which were subjected to a gradient of oil deposition following the spill. Starting in June 2016, we collected sediments from three sites subjected to a range of oiling to determine the legacy effect of the oil spill on sediment denitrification and nitrogen fixation (N2-fixation). Denitrification capacity, which was determined using the isotope-pairing technique, was highest in September (63.9±30.2) µmol N m-2 h-1).
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term impacts of oiling on salt marsh ecosystem function (i.e. denitrification and nitrogen fixation) as well as drivers of ecosystem function (i.e. microbial community composition and functional abundance, environmental conditions).
DOI: doi:10.7266/N7251GJ3
Suggested Citation
Corianne Tatariw, Nikaela Flournoy, Alice Kleinhuizen, Derek Tollette, Edward Overton, Patricia Sobecky, Behzad Mortazavi. 2018. Spatial heterogeneity of nitrogen cycling in Deepwater Horizon-impacted salt marshes from May 2016-February 2017. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7251GJ3
Related Publication Citation
Tatariw, C., Flournoy, N., Kleinhuizen, A. A., Tollette, D., Overton, E. B., Sobecky, P. A., & Mortazavi, B. (2018). Salt marsh denitrification is impacted by oiling intensity six years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Environmental Pollution, 243, 1606–1614. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.09.034
Funded by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)
Funding cycle: RFP-IV
Research group: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER)
