This article was originally posted on NC Sea Grant’s Coastwatch Currents.
Nitrate levels in wetlands fluctuate throughout the day, according to a new study from researchers at NC State. The findings have implications for how to measure and account for nitrate, which can originate from fertilizers and sometimes act as a pollutant.
Michael Burchell, a professor in NC State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, says the findings provide new insights about nitrate concentrations in wetlands constructed for pollutant removal.
“Agricultural drainage water can be pumped from farms into constructed wetlands as a way to remove pollutants from the water,” Burchell explains. “It’s important we gain an understanding of how nitrate levels change in these systems over time.”
Read the full article on NC Sea Grant’s Coastwatch Currents.