A three-dimensional (3-D) chemical transport model (CTM), SLIMCAT, has been used to quantify the effect of denitrification on ozone loss for the Arctic winter 2004/2005. The simulated HNO3 is found to be highly sensitive to the polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) scheme used in the model. Here the standard SLIMCAT full chemistry model, which uses a thermodynamic equilibrium PSC scheme, overpredicts...

Nutrient stoichiometry within a wetland is affected by the surrounding land use, and may play a significant role in the removal of nitrate (NO3-N). Tile-drained, agricultural watersheds experience high seasonal inputs of NO3-N, but low phosphorus (PO4-P) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) loads relative to surface water dominated systems. This difference may present stoichiometric conditions th...

The source of N(2)O produced in soil is often uncertain because denitrification and nitrification can occur simultaneously in the same soil aggregate. A technique which exploits the differential sensitivity of these processes to C(2)H(2) inhibition is proposed for distinguishing among gaseous N losses from soils. Denitrification N(2)O was estimated from 24-h laboratory incubations in which nitr...

Nitrous oxide reductase (N(2)OR) catalyses the final step of the denitrification pathway-the reduction of nitrous oxide to nitrogen. The catalytic centre (CuZ) is a unique tetranuclear copper centre bridged by inorganic sulphur in a tetrahedron arrangement that can have different oxidation states. Previously, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus N(2)OR was isolated with the CuZ centre as CuZ*, in...

Application of external carbon sources for denitrification becomes necessary for wastewater treatment plants that have to meet very stringent effluent nitrogen limits (e.g., 3 to 5 mgTN/L). In this study, we evaluated and compared three carbon sources--MicroC (Environmental Operating Solutions, Bourne, Massachusetts), methanol, and acetate-in terms of their denitrification rates and kinetics, e...

Denitrification is an important process in aquatic sediments, but its role has not been assessed in the N mass balance of upper-Midwestern (USA) reservoirs that receive large agricultural riverine N inputs. We used a 4400-ha reservoir to determine the role of denitrification in the N mass balance and effectiveness in reducing downstream transport of NO(3-)N. Sediment denitrification was (1) mea...

While modern developments in agriculture have allowed for increases in crop yields and rapid human population growth, they have also drastically altered biogeochemical cycles, including the biotransformation of nitrogen. Denitrification is a critical process performed by bacteria and fungi that removes nitrate in surface waters, thereby serving as a potential natural remediation strategy. We pr...

NO(3) concentration profiles were measured in the sediments of a meso-eutrophic lake with a newly developed microelectrode. The depth of penetration of NO(3) varied from only 1.3 mm in organic-rich profundal silty sediments to 5 mm in organic-poor littoral sandy sediments. The thickness of the zone of denitrification in the organic-rich sediments was <500 mum. Oxygen profiles measured simultane...

Benthic chambers were used to measure in situ fluxes of dissolved gases (N2, O2, and N2O) and inorganic nutrients (NO3 , NH4 , and PO4 3 ) in continental shelf sediments of the Mid-Atlantic Bight during spring through autumn (May– November). Denitrification was determined by the rate of increase in N2 relative to Ar, measured using membrane-inlet mass spectrometry. Although sediments were a sou...