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Symptoms of Nitrogen Saturation in Two Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest Ecosystems
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Symptoms of Nitrogen Saturation in Two Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest Ecosystems

William T. Peterjohn, Mary Beth Adams and Frank S. Gilliam
Biogeochemistry, Vol.35(3), pp.507-522
12/01/1996
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02183038
Web of Science ID: WOS:A1996VX67100006

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Abstract

By synthesizing more than twenty years of research at the Fernow Experimental Forest, we have documented 7 symptoms of nitrogen saturation in two adjacent watersheds. The symptoms include: 1) high relative rates of net nitrification, 2) long-term increases in stream-water concentrations of nitrate and base cations, 3) relatively high nitrate concentrations in solution losses, 4) little seasonal variability in stream-water nitrate concentrations, 5) a high discharge of nitrate from a young aggrading forest, 6) a rapid increase in nitrate loss following fertilization of a young aggrading forest, and 7) low retention of inorganic nitrogen when compared with other forested sites. These data support current conceptual models of nitrogen saturation and provide a strong, and perhaps the best, example of nitrogen saturation in the United States.

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